English

Vision for English (Intent)

English has a prominent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English at East Crompton St George’s Primary School will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Reading, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils, therefore, who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.

Long Term Plan

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National Curriculum Aims

The National Curriculum for Reading aims to ensure that all pupils:

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.

How is Reading taught and what does it look like at St. George’s? (Implementation)

What will my child leave St. George’s knowing, understanding and appreciating in Reading? (Impact)

Through research we have found as a school that the most successful teaching of reading requires a range of different teaching strategies to address the needs and learning of each individual. Therefore we have a range of reading activities and teaching styles that children access as part of their reading ‘diet’ at St George’s. We also acknowledge the important role parents and carers play in the development of reading. High quality advice and support can be provided by all staff at St George’s, to ensure our children are being given the support to enable them to be the best that they can be.

EYFS and Year 1:

Daily phonics teaching using Read Write Inc.
Reading of class books – usually linked to learning in class.
Children are heard at least once a week in a guided reading session led by the class teacher.
Children that may be struggling to acquire phonics or are in the lowest 20% of children access small group or 1:1 phonic interventions weekly.
Children take home school reading books that are closely matched to their phonics group.
Children are also encouraged to choose a book from our in school book resource to encourage a love of reading at home with a parent.

Year 2:

Most children will continue to access phonics within school to support their progress.
Reading of class books – usually linked to learning in class.
Children are heard at least once a week in a guided reading session led by the class teacher or teaching assistant.
The lowest 20% of children may begin to access the Lexi Programme intervention if Read Write Inc has been exhausted and it is clear the programme will not work for them.
Children take home a closely matched book to their reading ability and are encouraged to change it as soon as they have read it. This can be logged in their home reading record.
Children that have successfully completed the phonics programme will also access whole class guided reading (as described in the KS2 area below).

KS2:

Some children may need to continue with Read Write Inc phonics to support their learning of reading.
Children will learn comprehension skills using a mixed approach of three days whole class reading and two days guided reading.
During whole class reading sessions, children of varied ability are all immersed in the same high-quality extract that is age-appropriate and use range of content domains with a focus on particular areas that we have found children find most challenging (vocabulary, retrieval and inference). However, over the course of the week, all content domains are covered.
Sessions will include our superheroes that explain the domain, strategies that may support in their learning of a skill and also question stems that may show it is a certain type of question.
During this time, children will also take part in oral rehearsal and have the chance to practise being a confident and fluent reader.
During guided reading sessions, children are closely grouped to ability to ensure progress and challenge for all. Children access a longer text that may take a number of weeks to complete. This gives the children chance to immerse themselves in a text and gain a deeper understanding.
Guided reading sessions are also used to hear children reading 1:1 in short bursts. This is to ensure that they are becoming fluent readers and to assess for any intervention needed.
Children also access a variety of reading texts as part of their ongoing learning in writing lessons and topic lessons. The class texts are carefully chosen to match a class’ individual needs alongside the overarching topic that they are learning about. Although not a discrete reading lessons, teachers naturally model reading on an ongoing basis looking at inferences of meaning, exploring new vocabulary and retrieving key facts.
Children that struggle with reading in KS2 or children that have not made enough progress in reading and are below age-related expectations will access our Lexia Programme online in a six-week burst to target individual weaknesses in reading and ensure they get back on track with their learning.
We actively encourage children to use their reading skills across the curriculum. The superheroes of reading are transferrable.

How have class reading books been selected?

Covering the topic and theme being taught within class that term.
Texts are age-appropriate but have some level of challenge.
Are from a diverse range of authors to reflect society.
Where possible, are adapted to children’s interests.

How do we foster a love of reading?

Reading challenges within the Local Authority are encourage over the Summer holidays. Children are awarded a certificate once this has been completed.
Bookflix reading trolley to books that children no longer read. The trolley is wheeled out to the front of school every Friday to give children the opportunity to read for pleasure with an adult choosing a book to share. Once the book has been read, it is then returned to school for another child to enjoy.
World Book Day is celebrated every year at St George’s. Children are given the opportunity to come to school as their favourite book character and take part in a variety of different activities throughout the day – depending on the year’s theme.

Fostering a love for reading is what we ultimately want to grow at St George’s. We believe that confident, fluent, and lifelong readers are essential not only for academic success but also for personal growth and engagement with the world. By nurturing a positive reading environment, we empower our students to access the entire curriculum with enthusiasm and skill, opening doors to knowledge and creativity.

We aim for every child to articulate their reading journey with pride, discussing their favourite authors and cherished books. This engagement enhances their critical thinking and encourages a vibrant literary community within our school. As students encounter new vocabulary and complex ideas, we instil resilience, teaching them to approach challenges with curiosity rather than fear.

Ultimately, our commitment to reading transforms our students into not just proficient readers but passionate learners, ready to explore the diverse narratives and perspectives that shape our world. Through reading, we equip them with the tools to navigate their futures with confidence and insight.

How is Writing taught and what does it look like at St. George’s? (Implementation)

What will my child leave St. George’s knowing, understanding and appreciating in Writing? (Impact)

We follow a whole school approach to writing through a bespoke teaching approach of:

Creating Interest – exciting children’s minds and develop intrigue to the unit ahead.
Reading and Analysing – reading the class novel and analysing, character, setting, key features of the text genre ahead.
Gathering Content – Learning new and recapping existing skills to enable children to write fluently for their age group. Short-burst writing to apply new skills.
Vocabulary – this is thread through the whole unit. Discussing, experimenting and applying new vocabulary discovered in writing sessions.
Planning – the opportunity to thoroughly plan their piece of work and revise this to be successful.
Writing – extended piece of writing
Editing and Improving – published piece

Writing is taught five times per week across school. Units of work are delivered using high quality texts and children in all year groups are given varied opportunities for writing. Key skills are taught and repeated; there are multiple opportunities throughout each unit to use and apply the skills taught until they can be mastered fully. Within each teaching sequence, there are many opportunities for incidental short-burst writing with an extended writing outcome built up to by the end of each unit. Alongside key writing skills, we also ensure extensive opportunities to develop and apply vocabulary, We aim to develop word depth with children by delivering a planned approach to explaining words and meaningful, repeated exposure to them.

Within each year group, a range of genres are covered to ensure the breadth required by the National Curriculum is achieved. These are both non-fiction and fiction. Not all genres are covered in every year group but writing outcomes have been carefully chosen to suit each specific year group.

Cold writes are completed at the beginning of a unit to assess what children can remember about the genre and SPAG taught from previous year groups, alongside informally assess what they may need to complete more work on within the unit. Hot writes are completed at the end of a unit to assess what children have learnt and give them the opportunity to demonstrate their flare and enthusiasm for writing.

We believe that the ability to articulate thoughts clearly and effectively is a fundamental and life-long skill for every child. Our writing curriculum is designed to empower students to express themselves coherently, considering various purposes and audiences. Through engaging lessons and targeted writing techniques, our dedicated teachers equip children with the essential skills needed to become successful communicators.

Our English plans provide a clear focus and vision, outlining what students should know and remember as they progress through their education. We strive to cultivate a love for writing, ensuring that every child leaves our school feeling enthusiastic and confident in their abilities. By the time they leave, our children will not only possess strong spelling, punctuation, and grammar skills, but they will also be inspired to pursue their passions and navigate future opportunities. We are committed to nurturing capable, creative writers who are prepared to make their mark on the world.

English Pupil Voice – What do our children think of English at St. George’s? (Impact)

“Our teachers give us lots of different ideas; they help us build to a Hot Write; they teach us new SPAG content to include in our writing; they help us with ideas and they show me lots of modelled writing.”

“My favourite thing is getting to use our imagination in our writing and be creative.”

“We do modelled writing in most lessons. We can try new stuff out after the teacher has shown us how to use it.”

“I love doing our present piece and showing off all that I have learnt.”

“I enjoy learning about and reading new texts. You get to see lots of new words.”

“A good reader is someone who is confident. You can read in front of other people and maybe even the whole school.”

“I find reading lessons really peaceful and time for me to focus on just reading.”