English
Leaders understand that reading is the key to all learning. They have designed a curriculum that effectively promotes pupils’ reading fluency and confidence. Additional daily phonics sessions help pupils who are weaker readers to improve. Attainment in national assessments in reading is now above average.
Ofsted Report December 2019
English Curriculum Intent
We believe that every child should have the right to a curriculum that champions excellence; supporting pupils in achieving to the very best of their abilities. We understand the immense value that a high-quality English education can play in enriching pupils’ lives. English at Thomlinson Junior School aims to provide our pupils with the understanding, knowledge and skills needed to have excellent, reading, verbal and written skills. We aim to nurture a love of reading and writing for all our pupils and develop the confidence needed to communicate effectively in society. Pupils will be given a rich learning diet and immersive environment, that will provide the foundations needed, recognising the importance English has on every subject and beyond the school.
English Curriculum Implementation
As a school, we have carefully created our own bespoke English curriculum which aligns with the National Curriculum and shows progression across the school from Year 3 to Year 6. This includes using established and respected resources from English specialists such as The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education. The English curriculum supports our teachers in delivering engaging, inspiring and challenging lessons, and learning opportunities which help to raise standards and allow all pupils to achieve to their full potential. We are confident that our English curriculum provides everything a child would need. It provides immense flexibility, contextualised and cross curricula learning opportunities.
English Curriculum Map
English Curriculum Impact
At Thomlinson Junior School, our English curriculum aims to ensure our 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.
- Be competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.
Inclusion in English
At Thomlinson Junior School, we aim to enable all children to achieve to their full potential. This includes children of all abilities, social and cultural backgrounds, those with disabilities, EAL speakers and SEN statement and non-statemented. We aim to do this through:
- Termly review of the curriculum.
- Monitoring and assessing in reading, writing and spelling.
- Regular tracking of pupil attainment.
- Review of targets in reading and writing.
- Discussion with teachers and Senior Leaders.
Policies and Procedures
Accelerated Reader
At Thomlinson Junior School, we use Accelerated Reader to help monitor the progress the children make in their reading, ensure they are reading books that are suitable for their reading level and encourage them to read, both at school and at home. We also use the Star Reading programme (part of Accelerated Reader) to assess and monitor the progress of reading in our school.
We have daily reading in each class everyday where children read independently or with an adult. All classes also have one whole class guided reading lesson each week, where they look at a class novel or extract in greater detail.
We ask that, in order to fully support your child with their reading, they read at home at least three times a week – either with an adult or independently. It is useful if you encourage your child to note down what they have read in their Reading Records and they are signed by an adult, again at least three times a week.
Spelling Shed
The Spelling Shed is a spelling platform designed by a team of Primary School teachers. It is built with primary school students, teachers and parents in mind and aims to make spelling fun for students!
Spelling Shed includes:
- A spelling scheme, giving 100% coverage of the National Curriculum.
- The ability to create unlimited custom lists and search for others' lists within the platform.
- A tablet and mobile game for students to use to practise spelling.
- An online game, which gives access to our platform on all current desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices.
- Whole-class Hive games that allow all pupils to play alongside each other as an alternative for a weekly spelling test.
Phonics
English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English 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 in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, 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.
National Curriculum in England, DfE 2013