September 2017 1
Our School Vision for English At St. Saviour s School our values are: Achieve, Respect and Co-operate. These underpin our learning and teaching of English. All teachers and support staff will foster a positive climate. Positive relationships will support learners in developing their knowledge and skills and encourage them to take risks to further develop their understanding. Throughout the whole school and beyond, there will be a culture of sharing good practice and celebrating achievement. We strive to ensure that all learners will make expected or better than expected progress. To enable this, there is consistent high quality teaching, at the appropriate level throughout the school. The aims of this policy For all pupils to: read easily, fluently and with good understanding develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas become competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate and drama activities. Curriculum planning We use the updated Jersey Curriculum, (KS1 and 2) and Development Matters (Foundation), when planning our English teaching. We carry out the curriculum planning in English in three phases, (long-term, (coverage), medium term, (skills) and short term, (planned activities). In Foundation, the short term planning is driven by the pupil s interests. All the planning for English is filed in the year group s Planning Folder and saved on the network, in Teacher Shared. In the long term planning, class teachers plan to deliver the different genres of writing through fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Our medium-term/short term plans are adapted from the curriculum and give details of the main teaching objectives for each term and these are obtained from the year group English curriculum map. These plans define what we teach, and ensure an appropriate balance and distribution of work across each term, covering a range of genres. 2
These plans include weekly short term planning details, the objectives and the differentiated activities, including support, where appropriate. This is followed through with teacher assessment against the age-related expectations. Teaching for Learning At St Saviour s School, we use a variety of teaching and learning styles in our English lessons in order to meet the needs of all our pupils. Our principal aim is to develop pupils knowledge, skills, and understanding. In all classes, pupils have a wide range of abilities, and we seek to provide suitable learning opportunities for all pupils by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the pupil. All staff have high expectations and believe that all pupils can achieve success. Meta-cognition approaches, (Growth Mind-Set), are used to encourage learners to think about their own learning more explicitly and pupils are taught strategies to set goals, monitor and evaluate their own progress. Wherever possible, other adults and TAs are used to support and develop the pupils learning. The Foundation Stage In the Foundation Stage, the prime area Communication and Language and the specific area, Literacy, are incorporated in all areas of learning. Opportunities are provided for pupils to communicate thoughts, ideas and feelings through planned Talk Time. Purposeful role-play is used to develop language and imagination. Pupils are given opportunities to share and enjoy a wide range of rhymes, songs, poetry and books. An environment is provided which reflects the importance of language through signs, notices and books. Pupils are provided with opportunities to see adults writing and they can experiment with writing themselves. Pupils receive regular phonic sessions, sometimes in small groups and at other times through general learning within the environment. In Foundation Stage, English is part of the seven areas of learning in Development Matters. We relate the English aspects of the pupils work to the objectives set out in Development Matters which underpins the curriculum for pupils. The pupils are encouraged to mark-make and write, both inside and outside the classroom, with a range of tools. The pupils are given the opportunity: to talk and communicate in a widening range of situations, e.g. Talk Time. to respond to adults and to each other, to listen carefully, to practise and extend their vocabulary and communication skills, to explore words and texts through Letters and Sounds. Reading At St Saviour s School, we strive to ensure that pupils have a love of reading and respect for books. 3
From Reception, reading plays an important part in the English curriculum and we value it. We ensure that reading opportunities are given daily and this will include guided reading, shared reading and reading activities linked to focused learning. Whole class and shared reading also plays an important part and this is teacher led to ensure that texts are analysed and discussed. Big books and digital technology are used to display the images and text with the whole class. Class teachers use shared texts with links to topics. From Reception, pupils have access to colour banded books in a reading scheme, to support the development of their individual reading skills. Parents are encouraged to listen to their child read every night and sign the reading log with any useful comments for the teacher. The teacher checks and annotates the reading logs at least once a week to ensure that pupils are reading and changing their books on a regular basis. Reading is not to be restricted to the English lesson. Many opportunities are provided for pupils to practise and extend their reading in other subjects. Reading for pleasure and enjoyment is given a high priority and sufficient time is set aside for this. In KS2, time is allowed for pupils to independently and silently read at certain times of each day. These sessions are called ERIC Everyone Reads in Class. Every class has a Reading Area which provides a selection of fiction and non-fiction books. In KS1, a reading scheme called Songbirds is used for pupils who are not ready to move up to the Yellow Band of reading by the end of the first half term in Year 1. In KS2, when pupils are identified as having difficulty with reading, specific strategies and programmes are used, e.g. Rapid Reading is offered to pupils and provides additional support in reading and writing. Handwriting All teachers have high expectations in the presentation of work in all areas of the Curriculum. Handwriting starts in the Foundation Stage and is developed to joining letters from Year 2 onwards. Teachers use a variety of resources to both model and demonstrate how to correctly form and join letters. Teachers also ensure that children develop holding the pencil in the correct tripod grip. In KS2, the teaching of handwriting is linked with the teaching of spellings. Pupils who are correctly joining will be awarded with a Pen Licence and the expectation is that by Year 5 and 6, all pupils are using a handwriting pen. The whole school agreement on the letter joins is taught and implemented throughout the different areas of the curriculum. Writing From KS1, pupils are provided with the opportunity to write in the three different genres; fiction, non-fiction and poetry. To engage writers, especially boys, teachers make links with topics, visitors, trips outside of school and the pupil s interest. In KS1 and 2, a consistent whole school approach to writing and language is delivered by using the school agreed layouts for different genres. These genres include the different types of Alan Peat sentences to develop and extend writing. 4
A range of resources may be used as a stimulus, such as drama, photographs and shared books. Teachers in Key Stage 1 will initially demonstrate and model how to write in the different genres. It is expected that by Key Stage 2, most pupils will be confident in writing in the different genres and experimenting with using different types of sentences, however teachers will continue to model writing. Pupils are encouraged to revisit a piece of writing, so that they are able to experience the process of drafting, proof-reading, editing and extending their writing. In Foundation, mark making is valued as an important process in writing. In Foundation, weekly writing opportunities are linked to the pupils needs and interests. Commencing in the summer term from Reception, every pupil in the school will have a Personal Writing Folder which at the end of the academic year, is passed onto the next class. This folder shows progress and achievement from Reception to Year 6. Each term, two pieces of unaided writing are inserted into the folder, (1 fiction and 1 non-fiction). Together during conferencing, the teacher and pupil look closely at the writing and each agree on a star and finally a step forward for the next half term. These are annotated onto a sticker and stuck onto the unaided writing. A copy is also placed in the back of the pupil s English book for future reference. The whole island agreed unaided guidelines are followed. Grammar From Years 1 to 6, No Nonsense Grammar, NNG, is used to teach grammar. NNG shows the progression between each year group/phase. Grammar is taught in the context of reading and writing, playing with words, investigations and rhymes. This enriches grammatical knowledge and understanding. An integral part of No Nonsense Grammar is the use of the Tool Kit. This uses images to reinforce the pupil s understanding and application. The curriculum maps indicate the required grammar taught in each year group. Speaking and listening Developing strong speaking and listening skills is fundamental to the teaching of English. Teachers place a high emphasis on spoken language and plan for the teaching of skills as well as incidental learning opportunities. In the Foundation Stage, the main areas of speaking and listening include: asking and answering questions and talking about interests. The National Curriculum states that pupils should be taught to speak clearly and convey ideas confidently in Standard English. They should: justify ideas with reasons ask questions to check understanding develop vocabulary and build knowledge negotiate 5
evaluate and build on the ideas of others select the appropriate register for effective communication give well-structured descriptions and explanations speculate, hypothesise and explore ideas Organise their ideas prior to writing The focus on the spoken word gives pupils the ability to cope with written language by discovering: how it works; that meanings are shaped by lexical and syntactical choices; that language changes in different contexts; that there are differences between written and spoken English and standard and non-standard; rules of spoken language; creative thinking and self-expression There are numerous opportunities for pupils take part in speaking and listening activities e.g. presentations linked to topics/themes, guest speakers, school shows, class assemblies, presenting of homework, PSHE lessons and achievements both in and out of school. At St Saviour s School we use a variety of tools to evidence speaking and listening: ipads, Surface laptops and photographs. Phonics, Spellings and KS2 Statutory Words Foundation and KS1 teach Letters and Sounds. KS2, No Nonsense Spelling (under review) At St Saviour s School, the aims of teaching spellings are to: encourage all pupils to be confident in reading and spelling, know and use a variety of strategies to spell words, enable pupils to write independently, enhance the pupils skills of proof reading. In the Foundation Stage, pupils are working towards using their phonic knowledge to read and write simple, regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words. From Reception onwards, pupils are taught in daily phonics sessions until they become confident and competent spellers. From Reception, the pupils are provided with both Sound Fans and a parent information leaflet which are sent home. In Nursery, there is an intervention group for pupils who are ready to commence direct teaching of phonics. In KS1, the children are streamed for phonics using the scheme, Letters and Sounds. Each child has a phonic assessment booklet that is continued from Foundation Stage to the end of Key Stage One. The children are assessed half termly in both their reading and spelling of phonics using this document. Once the children are assessed it determines the phonic phase they are working within, what 6
high frequency words they need to learn and what their next steps are to improve their phonetic approach to reading and writing. In KS2, a balanced spelling programme includes the following five main components: understanding the principles underpinning word construction (phonemic, morphemic and etymological); recognising how (and how far) these principles apply to each word, in order to learn to spell words; practising and assessing spelling; applying spelling strategies and proofreading; Spelling strategies are taught explicitly and applied to high-frequency words, crosscurricular words and individual pupils words. Proof-reading is taught during shared and guided writing sessions and links are made to the teaching of handwriting. In addition to these spellings, year group statutory words are taught and tested in the English lessons. The year group statutory words are tested at the start of the year and again at the end of the year. These tests results are passed onto the next year group teacher. English and Inclusion At St Saviour s School, we teach English to all pupils, whatever their ability or needs. It is part of the school curriculum policy to provide a broad and balanced education to all pupils. We provide learning opportunities that are matched to the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and those learning English as an additional language. We also provide appropriate, challenging planned work for pupils who are gifted and talented. Assessment for learning In Foundation, assessment is made in the form of possible lines of development from pupil observations and verbal feedback is also provided. We make ongoing formative assessments which we use to help inform our short-term planning. These are closely matched to the age-related learning expectations and will often be made from day to day observations. From KS1, teachers frequently make comments or assessments in the pupils books and place labels with the age-related expectations. These labels are used by both the teachers and pupils to monitor and assess the work, on a regular basis. Time is planned for the pupils to reflect upon and respond to any teacher comments, so that a two way learning dialogue can take place. The learning objectives for reading and writing are on display in the classroom for both adults and pupils to see. Reference to these makes clear links between the learning in class and the curriculum. Assessment helps teachers to plan the next unit of work. We strive for each pupil to make expected or better than expected progress. A summary of each pupil s progress is made before discussing it with parents and collating it in the pupil s end 7
of year report. We make summative assessments in reading and writing three times a year and put strategies in place to support pupils where necessary. A variety of strategies are used for assessment for learning: Sharing the learning intention, questioning, teacher/pupil feedback and self-assessment. Digital technology is used to share and model work. This allows pupils to respond and make positive comments about the piece of work being shown. Each term, internal moderation takes place and a sample of pupils work is closely scrutinised to ensure a consistent approach to assessment. Resources There is a wide range of resources to support the teaching of English across the school. From KS1, classes have dictionaries, thesauri and also a selection of fiction texts. Access to the internet is available in the computer suite and also through the use of ipads and interactive white boards. Apps are used in class to both promote and engage the pupils, in all the areas of English. At St Saviour s School, we celebrate and share pupils work in a range of ways including digital technology. The school library contains a range of non- fiction books. Teachers are encouraged to use the resources loan boxes from the town library. Each classroom has a working English/phonics display board which is used as a learning tool. These tools also assist pupils to self and peer assess. From KS1, we use the Alan Peat writing strategies to support the improvement of writing and these are published in each classroom. Key Stage 1 and 2 will agree on the type of English books/folders which will be used. There is a whole school agreement regarding Personal Writing Folders. Roles and Responsibilities. (Refer to Teaching for Learning Policy and Teacher s Task) Out of Class Work/Homework/Parental Involvement Opportunities will be provided for learners to practise and consolidate their skills and knowledge through out-of-class activities or homework. Parents are encouraged to play an active role in supporting their pupil s learning. (Refer to the Homework Policy) Monitoring and Evaluation The Head teacher, SLT and relevant post holders will regularly review the teaching and learning of English throughout the school. Policy to be regularly monitored and reviewed by September 2019 8