English

At Joydens Wood Junior School, where appropriate, we have designed our English curriculum to work alongside our cross-curriculum. This ensures pupils are able to apply skills to other elements of the school’s curriculum that they are learning from.

Intent

At Joydens Wood Junior School, it is our intention that children should develop a love of reading, writing and discussion, which equips them to be lifelong learners. At the heart of our strategy is a drive to foster a love of reading from the moment they join us in Year 3. We know that if children are equipped with the key English skills from the start, it enables them to access the wider curriculum with confidence.

We aim to introduce a wide range of texts to our children that reflect and celebrate the diversity of our school community. This allows children to develop empathy and see themselves reflected in the stories they read. In addition, we aim to inspire an appreciation of our rich and varied language through the immersion of high-quality texts and a confidence to use their imagination through our curriculum. We strive for these creative ideas to be applied to their writing within a variety of genres and to be discussed effectively and with confidence.

We believe that secure foundations in English skills are crucial to a high-quality education, providing our children with the tools they need for success in future lines of study and employment.

Implementation

The development of speaking and listening skills is essential to the successful acquisition of language and knowledge, and this is a particular focus for children upon entry to Year 3. We work closely with our Infant School colleagues to be aware of the needs and ability of the children who are joining us. From this strong foundation, the progression of skills taught in English build upon prior knowledge. This is carefully matched to each individual child and is designed to challenge and extend all learners.

Children unsecure with their phonics continue to follow the Little Wandle synthetic phonics programme (an extension of what is used at JWIS) through their Rapid Catch-Up intervention programme, building on from the strong programme delivered in KS1. Through the use of Little Wandle, explicit links are made between developing phonetic knowledge, reading and writing, spoken language, vocabulary, grammar and spelling. To develop reading comprehension skills, we use the VIPERS model, which continues progressively throughout the school (pupils would have started this in Year 2). This is further supported through appropriate banded reading books until the children become independent readers when challenging, well-matched texts continue to be provided. We use the Pandora Reading Scheme books to ensure every child has access to a range of appropriately levelled fiction and non-fiction texts. Alongside this, we encourage children to select books of their choice from classroom book corners, our school library and from home in order to promote a love of reading.

We use a core spine of texts in Guided Reading that include a wide range of authors from different backgrounds and nationalities, providing our children with access to high-quality, age-appropriate texts, which include fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Some of the books are linked to our Experience-based curriculum, while others are chosen to expand children’s exposure to a wider range of high-quality books.

In class, we model and scaffold the language, grammar and structure of different text types. Each class provides a language-rich environment with vocabulary clearly displayed to support children. Teachers encourage children to be ambitious in their choice of vocabulary, both in written work and oral discussions. Fluent cursive script is taught to develop writing stamina.

Children learn spellings, provided by their class teacher via the Spelling Shed programme, at home and are tested on these in class each week. Spelling is taught discreetly where children are taught how to explore spelling patterns and identify how these are applied to different words. The use of dictionaries and thesauruses are vital to this work as it allows the children to understand the meaning behind the word, rather than simply learning what the word looks like by making it part of the child’s working memory. Weekly spellings are designed to explore different spelling patters. These are introduced at the beginning of the week with a taught spelling session. Alongside learning spelling rules and strategies, Years 3/4 and Years 5/6 are also expected to learn the words lists as stated in the National Curriculum.

Spelling is important to all children, and it is essential that they are given every opportunity to embed key spelling rules, so these can be applied to their own writing. Children who need additional support with spelling receive a variety of interventions tailored to their individual needs.

Impact

The intended impact of our English curriculum is to enable our children to become enthusiastic and confident readers, writers and speakers.  They can debate their ideas, read widely for pleasure, and take pride in their written work.  Children have the skills to draft, edit and improve their writing, understanding the importance of each stage of this process.  Pupils will make good progress from their individual starting points as they progress through their learning journeys. By the end of year 6, the children will be able to write clearly and accurately, adapting their style and language for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. English is an integral part of our curriculum and the skills taught are transferrable to other areas of the curriculum, showing consolidation of skills, and a deeper understanding of how and when to apply specific grammar, punctuation and spelling objectives in addition to presentational devices.