Literacy

English at Parklands Primary School

English has a prominent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak, read and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others. Through literacy, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually.

The overarching aim for English in the National Curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The National Curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• 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
• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

Reading:

At Parklands Primary School, our vision is to create enthusiastic and motivated readers who possess a lifelong love for literature.  The secure phonics knowledge that we aim for pupils to obtain by the end of Key Stage One, ensures that children are instilled with skills to both decode words in order to read fluently and to comprehend what they have read. Reading promotes higher order thinking which extends to analysing authors’ intent and participating in high-quality discussions about texts, building on their own and other’s ideas and challenging views courteously. From Early Years Foundation Stage to Year Six, we nurture a home-school partnership, which enables parents and carers to understand how to enhance the skills that pupils learn at school. Pupils are able to apply the skills learnt in reading lessons across the curriculum. Children are encouraged to read for a range of purposes, including reading for pleasure. Teachers aim to establish a love and appreciation for reading. In order to support this, each classroom has a ‘Reading Challenge’ which encourages pupils to read at home on a regular basis.

Our Reading curriculum is inclusive, providing opportunities for all pupils to develop their skills and knowledge to become independent, confident and successful readers.  It is cognitively challenging, ambitious and engaging, ensuring it delivers the requirements of the National Curriculum. Pupils are exposed to a wide range of authors. Reading texts are chosen by taking into account contextual and environmental factors as well as focusing on the individual children at Parklands. This helps them to understand more about the world they live in through the knowledge they gain from texts. Progression across the school is clear, taking into consideration pupils’ starting points as well as end of Key Stage expectations; units of work are accessible and sequenced to ensure that all children are able to make progress.

Writing:

Our vision is to create confident, motivated writers who possess a love of writing and have pride in their written accomplishments. All children, from Foundation Stage to Year Six, are provided with many opportunities to develop and apply their ‘early mark making’ and writing skills across the curriculum. Throughout Key Stages One and Two, pupils plan, draft and edit their writing, focusing on effective transcription and composition. Through their writing, pupils are given a voice to share their ideas and emotions with their community. Through embedding basic skills in order to widen their knowledge and understanding of vocabulary and grammar, pupils are able to articulate, communicate and organise their ideas, taking into consideration their audience and purpose for writing. We nurture our pupils as eloquent and articulate speakers and writers, who use a wide and purposeful vocabulary. We provide varied and exciting opportunities for writing and purpose, encouraging pupils to view themselves as authors and poets. Our broad, balanced and inclusive writing curriculum, which utilises objectives from the National Curriculum, ensures that every child is provided with the skills required to be confident and independent authors. Progression across our well-defined writing curriculum is clear, taking into account pupils’ starting points as well as end of Key Stage expectations; units of work are accessible and sequenced to ensure that all children are able to make progress.

National Curriculum Year 3 & 4 Word List

National Curriculum Year 5 & 6 Word List