"Writing is making letters and words to communicate and entertain others."

Southtown Primary pupils.

Intent

We want our children to be exposed to a diverse range of experiences in Reading and Writing and be able to apply their English skills throughout the curriculum.   We want all of our children to love reading and we encourage a love of reading right from the start.  We enable access to an ambitious and rewarding reading curriculum.  We want our children to experience a curriculum that is rich in vocabulary and an English curriculum that is progressive and challenging.  We aim for our children to learn the key skills and techniques to be able to communicate effectively in their writing.  

Implementation

Children are taught an English curriculum on a daily basis using the Curriculum With Unity Schools Partnership (CUSP) curriculum.  This curriculum encourages children to step beyond their won context and experience and is a carefully designed curriculum rotted in the principles of cognitive neuroscience and best practice.    Teaching is based upon evidence based research including cognitive load theory, principles of instruction and explicit vocabulary teaching.  The writing curriculum enables deeper level; children build on prior learning which deepens their understanding and builds conceptual fluency.  The reading curriculum is cohesive and well sequenced and encourages children to respond to ethical, moral and social questions. Children enjoy an in-depth study of carefully selected literature from our literature spine which exposes children to a breadth of genres, authors, texts and themes.  Alongside the teaching of Reading, we use Accelerated Reader (AR), a computer based programme to support and manage children’s independent reading practice.    We also teach spelling using CUSP with key concepts revisited throughout the teaching blocks.

Impact

Children’s English books show a broad and balanced English curriculum.  Children gain skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the next stage of their education. Children can read fluently and demonstrate enjoyment of reading.  Children use a rich vocabulary to articulate their views and opinions.