English

English Statement of Intent:

"Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God." Psalm 92:13

At Hesketh-with-Becconsall All Saints Church of England Primary School,we believe that learning should be a lifelong process and a rewarding and enjoyable experience for everyone. Our curriculum, therefore, aims to motivate and inspire children through a series of carefully sequenced lessons that engage and challenge all learners and provides them with a high standard of language and literacy skills. Through our teaching we focus on inspiring the children to learn, equipping them with the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to become autonomous learners who reach their full potential. English is embedded throughout all our lessons and we strongly believe that the ability to read and write is fundamental to our children succeeding and be academically ready for the next stage of their learning journey.

Our English curriculum begins in EYFS and is built upon throughout the school until Year 6. It aims for all children to build their phonic knowledge, acquire a wide range of vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language. We understand that English is the foundation of the entire curriculum and that children who are confident and accomplished readers and writers will be empowered to succeed in all other areas. Our Christian Values, alongside our School Mission Statement: ‘What you are is God’s gift to you, what you become is your gift to God’as well as in our biblical root: ‘We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good works’ from Ephesians 2:10 are at the heart of our curriculum and all that we do at Hesketh with Becconsall All Saints.

Reading

Children at Hesketh with Becconsall All Saints, will learn to read with fluency and acquire skills to ensure sound comprehensive understanding. Our children will engage with a range of genres and develop their understanding of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. We ensure a love and passion of reading is evoked throughout our curriculum as not only are our children encouraged to read for pleasure, but to use books to research and gather new knowledge to elongate their understanding of specific topics and themes.

Writing

Our curriculum ensures that our children develop passion and enthusiasm for writing. Our aim is to ensure that pupils write clearly, accurately and coherently for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. They will develop a wide vocabulary and a solid understanding of the grammar rules and progressive terminology appropriate for their age group. Year group appropriate spelling patterns and handwriting expectations - as laid out in the National Curriculum - will be taught, understood and applied. The children will take pride in their written work and high standard of presentation across the whole school is monitored and maintained in line with our ‘Teaching and Learning’ Policy.

We believe that all good writers refine and edit their writing over time, thus, our children will see teachers editing and amending original ideas - in line with our ‘Teaching and Learning’ Policy - and reading aloud each additional sentence, ensuring they read correctly. This will demonstrate upscaling of vocabulary, grammar and linguistic conventions where possible, so that, in turn, the children can identify their own areas for improvement in pieces of writing and edit their work effectively during and after the writing process.

Speaking and Listening

At Hesketh-with-Becconsall All Saints Church of England Primary School, Speaking and Listening is developed and built on from the start of EYFS. All of our curricular goals rest on an ability to understand, master and deploy language, which is why we have oracy at the heart of all subjects. We create a nurturing, inclusive environment in which children can achieve their unique potential and are valued for their individual skills and talents. We want our children to be able to express themselves with confidence and high self-esteem when talking in full sentences, with a clear and confident voice, in all aspects and areas of their school life, as we believe that it is central to their learning. We aim to equip the children with the attitudes and skills to thrive as critical thinkers who are resilient enough to face challenges and solve problems they may encounter in their future lives.

Grammar and Punctuation

At Hesketh-with-Becconsall All Saints, we are determined that every child who leaves in Year 6 will have accessed and experienced detailed and precise teaching of all expected grammar objectives across their time at school. These outcomes will be taught across the English units and assessed in the writing outcomes.

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Curriculum Implementation

Knowledge and Skills Progression

Here at Hesketh with Becconsall All Saints Primary School, our Knowledge and Skills Progression follow Lancashire's Learning and Progression Steps (LAPS).

What are Learning and Progression Steps (LAPS)?

The Learning and Progression Steps are designed to scaffold the learning required in order to meet the expectations of the National Curriculum. Statements in the Lancashire Key Learning for Reading and Writing documents have been broken down into smaller steps to support teachers in planning appropriate learning opportunities. These key pieces of learning will support pupils in becoming effective and reflective independent readers.

Where have they come from?

The Learning and Progression Steps (LAPS) have been derived from the Lancashire Key Learning in Reading and Writing statements, identified primarily from the National Curriculum 2014 programmes of study.

How are they different from the Key Learning Statements?

The Learning and Progression Steps (LAPS) are smaller, progressive steps which support learning towards the Key Learning in Reading and Writing expectations. LAPS are numerically ordered from LAP 1 to LAP 3, to reflect the gradual development of the skill/s involved.

Please click here to see the Year Group Expectations for Reading and Writing. The Early Years Foundation Stage Expectations (EYFS) Early Learning Goals (ELGs) can also be found by following the link.