Our Curriculum Intent for English
At Christ Church CE Primary School we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. We aim to inspire an appreciation of our rich and varied literacy heritage as well as using texts from other cultures. We want to instil a love of reading and a habit of reading widely and often. We want our pupils to be confident speakers and good listeners. We want them to use discussion to communicate their thoughts, feelings and to develop their critical thinking skills, deepening their learning further. We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where pupils take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and be able to adapt their language and style for a range of contexts.
We believe that pupils need to develop a secure knowledge base in English which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum. We believe that a secure basis in literacy skills is crucial to a high quality education and will give our pupils the tools they need to participate as a member of society. We have listened to our pupil’s voices and we have created a curriculum that encourages them to become enthusiastic and engaged with English. We have worked hard to provide our pupils with rich and varied learning opportunities that help them to become confident and enthusiastic learners.
Implementation
Teachers plan and teach engaging English lessons which are differentiated to the particular needs of each child. Teachers know the pupils and their interests well and use this knowledge to plan fun and vibrant learning opportunities.
We help each child maximise their potential by providing help and support where necessary whilst striving to make children independent workers once we have helped to equip them with the confidence, tools and strategies that they need. At Christ Church, we identify children who need support and provide intervention in the most effective and efficient way that we can. We run intervention reading groups and are fortunate to have an experienced intervention teacher, parents and governors who come in regularly to listen to children read.
We love to celebrate success of all learners and strive to help all pupils achieve their goals. In addition, throughout the school year our English curriculum is enhanced through World Book Day, drama workshops, author visits and a range of trips and visits which enrich and complement teaching and learning.
At Christ Church we follow the National Curriculum for English.
For more information about the English National Curriculum and what is covered in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 please click on this link.
Impact
The impact on our pupils is clear: progress, sustained learning and transferrable skills. Termly assessment is showing that most pupils are achieving age-related expectations. KS2 results demonstrate a strong reading ethos (2022: 95% pupils attaining the expected standard with 48.3% greater depth). Writing has improved significantly across the school with the writing journey well established and taught thoroughly in both key stages. Pupils have become more confident in their writing abilities, using extended vocabulary, grammar and punctuation skilfully to engage the reader.
As all aspects of English are an integral part of the curriculum, cross-curricular writing standards have also improved and skills taught in English lessons are transferred into other subjects; this shows consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific technical devices.
Our aim is that as pupils move to Secondary School, their passion and creativity for English continues to thrive, keeping their high aspirations as they continue to grow and develop.
