Intent

At English Martyrs, we believe that a quality English curriculum should encompass a love of reading and writing for all. Through providing enriching and engaging opportunities and enthralling experiences for our children, they will be inspired to read widely and write for a range of purposes.

As part of this, our school looks to create a community of life-long readers and writers through showing our children how ‘English’ connects to real life.  Contacts are made in the literature world with opportunities for publishers, book shops and authors to visit our school and instil inquisitiveness in all.

At the end of children’s educational journeys at English Martyrs, they will have developed the ability to:

• verbally articulate their thoughts and opinions, and respectfully respond to the views of others
• appreciate a range of literature and form opinions as a result
• choose reading material from a variety of genres for pleasure and for information
• read fluently with good understanding
• write clearly, coherently and accurately, thoughtfully selecting grammar and vocabulary to suit purpose

Implementation

When planning the English curriculum, cross curricular links are utilised, learning journeys and experiences are rooted in rich texts and children’s interests are encapsulated.  Children delve into their imagination and use their skills to craft outcomes they are proud of. Lesson sequences are carefully mapped through the process of ‘Read – Analyse – Plan – Write – Review’. During this cycle, they are inspired to extend their vocabulary, develop a range of grammatical skills and learn how to edit their writing with a clear purpose and audience in mind.

In each class, reading environments are carefully considered and nurtured. Children are read to daily from a class novel and encouraged to select their own reading material from a vast range of books, sometimes stepping out of their comfort zone to try something different. Through book talk sessions, book reviews and whole class reading lessons, they are given the opportunity to share their own thoughts and opinions and explain how their reading is enhancing their learning; all of this, while also developing essential fluency and comprehension skills.

To ensure our children gain a clear foundation in early reading, we follow Song of Sounds, which, through the use of song and actions, embed the initial sounds, digraphs and split digraphs into the minds and hearts of our younger children. Complementing this, we teach handwriting, spelling and letter formation from Early Years, giving children the necessary tools for further successes as they journey through our school.