Intent

At St. Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, we believe that literacy and communication are key life skills. Through the English curriculum, we will help children develop the skills and knowledge that will enable them to communicate effectively and creatively through spoken and written language and equip them with the skills to become lifelong learners. We expect that all children will learn to read. We want children to develop their love of literature and appreciate its rich variety through widespread reading for enjoyment.

English is at the heart of all children’s learning. English enables children both to communicate with others effectively for a variety of purposes and to examine their own and others’ experiences, feelings and ideas, giving these order and meaning. Because English is central to children’s intellectual, emotional and social development it has an essential role across the curriculum and helps pupils’ learning to be coherent and progressive.

By the time children leave our school, we expect them to communicate through speaking and listening, reading and writing, with confidence, fluency and understanding and in a range of situations. We want every child to take pleasure in reading across a range of genres and have a strong motivation to read for a variety of purposes.

Reading

At St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School reading is at the heart of our curriculum. Children will learn to read fluently and demonstrate good understanding and comprehension. Our aim is for all children to read well, quickly therefore early reading is prioritised. Children will develop positive attitudes towards reading and see it as a pleasurable and meaningful activity.  They will engage with a range of genres and develop their understanding of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. They will use well-developed reading skills as an integral part of learning throughout the curriculum and read and respond to a variety of texts whilst gaining increased level of fluency, accuracy, independence and understanding. When children leave St. Patrick's, we expect them to be enthusiastic readers who have developed a rich vocabulary and a love of literature. 

Writing 

Children at St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School are taught to write clearly, accurately and coherently for a range of contexts; write in different styles and for different purposes and audiences; develop a wide vocabulary and a solid understanding of the grammar rules and terminology appropriate for their age group; apply spelling patterns correctly and use neat handwriting. We immerse the children in a rich, creative and carefully planned curriculum so that they are writing for real and engaging purposes. We strive for children to write with confidence and use an increasingly wide range of sophisticated, well-chosen vocabulary. The workbooks at St. Patrick's are special and we encourage children to take pride in the presentation of their writing, and develop a neat, joined, handwriting style by the time they leave our school and move to secondary school. We teach children spelling and grammar both discretely and as part of our analysis of texts and provide opportunities for them to apply these skills to their own writing. Units of work are carefully planned which enable children to become proficient in the writing process: planning, drafting and editing their writing to suit the purpose.  

Speaking and Listening

Children at St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School are taught to communicate effectively, speaking with increasing confidence, clarity and fluency. This begins with a strong focus on the development of communication skills within the EYFS which is then nurtured and built upon as children move through the school. Children participate in discussions and debate in a variety of contexts and listen to the views, opinions and ideas of others with increased interest. They are encouraged to articulate ideas and thoughts clearly with appropriate tone and vocabulary and respond to questions and opinions appropriately. These skills are encouraged in every area of our curriculum as good communication skills can enhance every type of learning. 

Grammar and Punctuation

Children at St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School will have accessed and experienced detailed and precise teaching of all expected spelling and grammar objectives by the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils who spell with ease can concentrate on the content of their writing and the making of meaning. While it is important to remember that spelling is not the most important aspect of writing, confidence in spelling often has a profound effect on the writer’s self-image. Children will be taught to use a range of approaches to learn and spell irregular words and will learn how to proof-read all writing to ensure that spelling is as accurate as possible. 

Implementation

At St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School our English curriculum has been carefully designed to meet the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. It is well-planned and provides literacy-rich, cross-curricular opportunities. We ensure that we regularly review previous learning, as well as challenging our more able children. Teachers use the National Curriculum as a starting point for creating their medium-term English plans. These medium-term plans follow the five key aspects of English teaching: familiarisation with the genre and text type; capturing ideas; teacher demonstration; teacher scribing through supported and guided writing and finally, independent writing to create a teaching sequence. This is used as a basis for short term planning and adapted according to the needs of the children. The children receive a daily discrete English lesson. In addition to this there are guided and individual reading and reading comprehension sessions, grammar & punctuation, focused vocabulary, phonics, spelling and handwriting sessions. Our well-planned English curriculum ensures that children develop the skills, knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to communicate effectively and creatively through spoken and written language. Through the breadth and depth that our curriculum offers, children are equipped with the skills to become lifelong learners and to enjoy and appreciate literature and its rich variety.

Impact

At St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School our well-planned English curriculum ensures that children develop the skills, knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to communicate effectively and creatively through spoken and written language. Through the breadth and depth that our curriculum offers, children are equipped with the skills to become lifelong learners and to enjoy and appreciate literature and its rich variety. It leads them to become informed, enthusiastic and skilled readers and writers, who can engage with texts and the world around them, as reflective and independent thinkers. The impact as our children journey through school from EYFS to Year 6 is clear: progress, sustained learning and transferrable skills. We are able to measure attainment using the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 national assessments, along with the information provided by teacher assessments for writing, reading and Grammar, punctuation and spelling. We hope that as children move on from us to further their education and learning that their creativity, passion for English and high aspirations travel with them and continue to grow and develop as they do.

Pupil Voice

What our children say about learning English:

"I like writing stories and learning about different topics in our English lessons like The Great Fire of London."

"We learn letters and sounds each day and practise our reading and writing. I like playing games on the whiteboard because it's lots of fun!"

"If you get stuck a teacher or teaching assistant will help you or you can use the Working Wall to remember all that you have learned in the unit so far."

"I like to work independently as I think it helps me to prepare for going to high school next year."

Wow! What an inspiration Xavier is! He created his very own book about the Romans at home and was proud to show us all in school. He wrote lots of information about what he had learned teaching us all about the Roman way of life. Well done Xavier!