English

At Queensgate, English is at the heart of our curriculum. We aim to develop confident readers, writers, and communicators who enjoy using language to explore and express ideas.

Children are immersed in high-quality texts, taught key skills in phonics, spelling, grammar, and given lots of opportunities to write creatively and for real purposes. Speaking and listening are also a big part of our approach, helping children build confidence and communicate clearly.

Through English, we inspire a love of reading and give children the tools they need to succeed across all subjects.

A Message from Miss Hunter and Mrs Arnell, our English Subject Leaders

At Queensgate Foundation Primary School, we believe that English is a fundamental life skill. Our intent is that all pupils will become confident, fluent readers, writers and speakers. We aim to achieve this by delivering a rich English curriculum built around high-quality texts which inspire and engage our children.

Phonics is one of the many skills needed to become a reader and writer. We endeavour to give children the best possible start on their reading and writing journeys by teaching them the essential phonic skills.

We want all pupils to develop a love for reading, both for pleasure and information. We regularly invite authors into school in order to inspire reading and develop ideas for writing, World Book day is also a highlight of the academic year!

Queensgate's Intent for English

At Queensgate Foundation Primary School, our intent in English is that all pupils leaving Year 6 are fluent readers, writers and speakers.

We expect that pupils will be able to construct grammatically sound prose for a variety of audiences and purposes- using a range of effective sentence structures, with accurate spelling and neatly presented handwriting. We want pupils to be able to proof read and edit their writing so it is impactful and interesting to read. 

We want all pupils to have developed a love for reading, both for pleasure and information, and hope that their comprehension skills enable them to increase their vocabularies and understanding. 

We intend for all pupils to be able to speak clearly, confidently and effectively in a range of contexts for a variety of purposes, demonstrating appropriate tone, volume and vocabulary.

We will make this happen through effective teaching, providing pupils with daily opportunities to develop their English skills.

Children will be able to verbally rehearse their ideas before writing, practise forming their letters often and will be taught the skills they need to make changes to their work, following the mantra ‘check, remove, add and improve’. They will read and dissect well-written WAGOLLs so that they know What A Good One Looks Like and will be able to identify and discuss the features that make them good. Pupils will listen to excellent texts to inspire their own writing and to generate ideas through a learning journey, which will be shared with all pupils.

Pupils will regularly hear adults read a range of texts to them and be able to discuss what they have heard and read themselves. They will be taught about the invisible reading skills that they need to have in order to be a fluent and effective reader. Pupils will be heardreading regularly and will be asked about what they have understood. Pupils will be taught phonics to enable them to decode what they are reading. This will be done through TheTeach Hub phonics programme.

Children will be given daily opportunities to speak aloud and listen to others in class. Theywill be able to engage in meaningful conversation and will be encouraged to develop theirspoken vocabulary as they are introduced to new words. Through drama and discussions,pupils will become confident speakers and will be taught about tone and volume.The specifics of the teaching in English, with regard to grammar, spelling, handwriting andreading and writing skills can be found in the National Curriculum, which sets out theNational expectation for Years 1-6, additionally the Early Years Frame Work outlines theexpectations for Reception pupils.

Intent

At Queensgate we believe that reading is a fundamental skill that is crucial for a successful, happy life. Our intention is that all pupils are fluent, independent readers by the time they leave our school. We teach all of the skills needed to become a reader, starting with phonics in the early stages and leading to comprehension skills such as inference and retrieval as the children progress. 

Implementation

We dedicate at least 2.5 hours per week of curriculum time to the teaching and practising of reading. All children have daily opportunities to read and understand the importance of the skill.

EYFS/KS1

Early reading is taught across EYFS and KS1 using the ‘Teach Hub’ SSP. SSP stands for Systematic Synthetic Phonics, it is an approach which teaches children to recognise letters (graphemes) and their associated sounds (phonemes). We adopted and trialled Teach Hub in 2022/23 and since have made great efforts to ensure consistent and effective delivery, with fidelity to the SSP. All staff and volunteers, who support children with their reading, receive training in phonics and best practise for listening to children read.

All children receive exposure to the main teaching input and staff work with targeted groups to enable all pupils to learn at a rate that is suitable for their needs. The lowest 20% of readers in each class are being taught phonics by the most skilled phonics practitioners in the class and have additional reading support. Teachers and TAs use phonics tracker to regularly assess pupils’ progress and identify any gaps that need to be filled.

We have recently invested over £10,000 in updating and restocking our reading books for EYFS and KS1. All children can now take home carefully selected books so they can practise the graphemes they have learnt in school, in line with their phonic stage. EYFS teachers deliver phase one phonics to the pre-school children at Seashells, during the summer term, to ensure that the children coming up to Queensgate are ready to start their phonics journey. Staff have created videos showing the teaching of pure sounds, blending, tricky words and sentence reading, which are uploaded to Class Dojo to support parents to hear their children reading effectively, additionally they hold face to face workshops for parents to help them support their children with phonics at home.

KS2

Early reading continues to be taught for those that need it, using Teach Hub materials in lower KS2, withadditional support from the Talisman Series which is a phonics scheme designed for older pupils. In Year 3 the English lead teaches the phonics intervention group twice a week with follow up activities lead by TAs across the year group. Children have access to books that enable them to practise the graphemes they have learnt. School staff, including volunteers from School Readers project, hear the children reading frequently.The lowest 20% of pupils are identified and are priority readers in each class. They receive additional focused reading with adults in school and other relevant interventions- such as phonics catch up, additional small group guided reading opportunities and targeted activities responding to their individual needs. Special books and programmes designed to support pupils with dyslexia are used effectively in addition to precision teaching.

Guided Reading

Guided reading lessons in KS1 largely follow the Teach Hub guided reading scheme in addition to well-chosen adult-read shared texts. The aim is to instil a love of reading, introduce new vocabulary and develop early comprehension skills such as retrieval and prediction. Strategies including echo and choral reading are used to encourage all readers to develop their intonation and performance reading skills, focusing on pitch, pace, punctuation and ‘leaning for meaning’. Children are immersed in book talk and are keen to share their recommendations.In KS2, guided reading lessons focus on learning, developing and applying specific skills as well as being an opportunity to read longer class books atgreater depth. In addition to Teach Hub guided reading materials in Year 3, we use texts that challenge the reader and support the learning in other subject areas whilst developing their understanding of structures and vocabulary. The guided reading week includes the explicit teaching of the skills or domains that are essential for fluent reading. These include: fluency, retrieval, inference, prediction, summary, clarify, language for effect, respond and explain, and conventions and themes. Teachersmodel fluent reading, including appropriate pace and prosody. Choral reading techniques such as echo and shared reading are used to ensure that children are able to read with fluency and intonation. Fiction and non-fiction texts, including heritage and modern prose, are well selected to develop the children’s understanding of vocabulary and the structures, including punctuation, that are in place to enable us to read for meaning. Comprehension skills are practised and applied throughout the week in addition to opportunities for book talk, recommendations and reading for pleasure.

Assessment

Attainment and progress in reading is assessed using a range of tools, which include: phonics tracker, phonic screen, listening to pupils read, calculating reading ages (SALFORD/FFT), formative assessments such as comprehension tests (SATS/ Headstart), scaled scores, gap analysis and the multidimensional- fluency scale. The data gathered allows us to promptly identify gaps in individuals learning and wider strands that inform the focus of subsequent units of teaching. Children who are working below ARE in reading are targeted and their progress is monitored frequently by SLT, English Leads and the class team. 

Intent

At Queensgate Foundation Primary School, our intent for writing is that all pupils leaving Year 6 are able to write a wide range of text types independently and effectively for different purposes and audiences.

Implementation

Links to readingTo inspire our children to become the best writers they can be, we immerse them in a rich culture of reading and create opportunities for them to write interesting and effective prose inspired by high quality texts. We want all pupils to develop a love for language through reading, both for pleasure and information, and expect that their comprehension skills enable them to increase their vocabulary and understanding.

Phonics

We aim to give children the best possible start on their writing journey by teaching them the essential phonics skills and knowledge to decode and encode (spell) words independently from the outset. At the point of writing, children will use phonics as their first strategy to spell unknown words until it is embedded and automatic for them. We deliver the Teach Hub SSP consistently and with fidelity, throughout the school from KS1 and into KS2 in order to develop all children as confident readers which in turn will allow them to become confident writers. 

Spoken Language

We recognise that the development of spoken language and the enjoyment and comprehension of quality literature go hand in hand. We intend for all pupils to be able to speak clearly, confidently and purposefully in a range of contexts to enable them to develop and practise their understanding of sentence structures and phrasing. Drama is used to allow pupils to explore characterisation and plot development whilst developing their confidence.

Learning Journeys and WAGOLLS

Learning journeys, which are shared with the pupils, are inspired by high quality texts and films. They log the age appropriate relevant skills and National Curriculum learning objectives that are taught during the unit, culminating in expected written outcomes. Children will read and dissect well-written WAGOLLs so that they know ‘What A Good One Looks Like’ and will be able to identify and discuss the features that make them effective.

Through a series of activities, including apprentice and independent writes, we expect pupils to be able to construct grammatically sound prose for a variety of audiences and purposes- using a range of effective sentence structures. They will be able to verbally rehearse their ideas before writing. 

Pupils are taught to be able to proof read and edit their writing so it is impactful and interesting to read, following the mantra ‘check, remove, add and improve’. Pupils have opportunities to share and celebrate their finished written work.

Handwriting and Spelling

In 2023, children in EYFS and KS1 started trialling the Kinetic Letters programme to achieve automaticity in handwriting enabling pupils to get ideas on paper without having to think about how to form the letters. It is based on developing strength for writing, letter formation and flow. In KS2, children are given regular opportunities to practise their handwriting and develop a consistent, legible, cursive style. Children are able to present their work in a way that is appropriate to the task, purpose and audience. 

Additionally, pupils are encouraged to use their computer skills and ‘speech notes’ dictation programme to type up their writing when appropriate. 

In EYFS and KS1, spelling is part of the Teach Hub phonics SSP. In Key Stage 2 children have weekly spelling lessons as part of their English earning, building on phonics knowledge as well as exploring spelling patterns and word etymology. Common exception words are taught inline with National Curriculum expectations.

Assessment and Monitoring

Through AFL and moderation against the expected standards, teachers keep track of progress and identify areas that require improvement. They provide prompt, relevant verbal or written feedback, as appropriate to ensure pupils make speedy progress. Additionally, they adapt planning to ensure the needs of all children are met and gaps are filled in a timely manner. English leads and SLT monitor books and observe the teaching of English to ensure quality and consistency of writing. We also moderate our written work with other schools in the cluster. 

Lowest 20%

Pupils with SEN and those who struggle with writing, have access to a range of support depending on expected outcome and need, including but not limited to: effective small group work, word banks, scaffolds or writing frames, specific interventions such as colourful semantics and differentiated task designs. 

Content and Learning Objectives

The specifics of the teaching in English, with regard to grammar, spelling, handwriting and reading and writing skills can be found in the National Curriculum, which sets out the National expectation for Years 1-6, additionally the Early Years Frame Work outlines the expectations for Reception pupils.