Hullavington CE Primary and Nursery School

Our Curriculum Intent for English

At Hullavington CE Primary and Nursery School we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop chilldren’s love of reading, writing and discussion.  We aim to inspire an appreciation of our rich and varied literacy heritage as well as using texts from other cultures.  We want to instil a love of reading and a habit of reading widely and often.  We want our pupils to be confident speakers and good listeners.  We want them to use discussion to communicate their thoughts, feelings and to develop their critical thinking skills, deepening their learning further.  We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where pupils take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and be able to adapt their language and style for a range of contexts.

We believe that pupils need to develop a secure knowledge base in English which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum.  We believe that a secure basis in literacy skills is crucial to a high quality education and will give our pupils the tools they need to participate as a member of society. We have listened to our pupil’s voices and we have created a curriculum that encourages them to become enthusiastic and engaged with English. We have worked hard to provide our pupils with rich and varied learning opportunities that help them to become confident and enthusiastic learners.

Implementation

Teachers plan and teach engaging English lessons which are and every child is supported to take part and achieve the aim of the lesson.  Teachers know the pupils and their interests well and use this knowledge to plan engaging and vibrant learning opportunities.

We help each child maximise their potential by providing help and support where necessary whilst striving to make children independent learners once we have helped to equip them with the confidence, tools and strategies that they need. At Hullavington, we identify children who need support and provide intervention in the most effective and efficient way that we can. We run intervention reading groups and are fortunate to have an experienced intervention teacher, as well as parents and governors who come in regularly to listen to children read. 

We love to celebrate success of all learners and strive to help all pupils achieve their goals. In addition, throughout the school year our English curriculum is enhanced through World Book Day, parent and governor 1:1 reading, drama workshops, author visits and a range of trips and visits which enrich and complement teaching and learning.

Impact

The impact on our pupils is clear: progress, sustained learning and transferrable skills.  Termly assessment is showing that most pupils are achieving age-related expectations. There is a strong focus on reading for pleasure across the school  with bothe the main school library and clss bookshelves being well-stocked with a wide range of new and classic texts. Our teaching of writing means that children learn skills and grammatical features linked to model texts and examples and can then apply it to their own writing. Taught editing sessions mean thst children are guided through the editing process, focusing on age-appropriate skills including spelling, vocabulary and sentence structure. Pupils have become more confident in their writing abilities, using extended vocabulary, grammar and punctuation skilfully to engage the reader.

As all aspects of English are an integral part of the curriculum, writing in other subjects is also an important opportunity for children to apply and improve the skills taught in English lessons;  this shows consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific language and text features, 

Our aim is that as pupils move to Secondary School, their passion and creativity for English continues to thrive, keeping their aspirations high as they continue to grow and develop.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-primary-curriculum