English Curriculum Statement
Curriculum Intent
An appreciation for rich, high quality literature underpins the English curriculum at Humberstone Infant Academy and we endeavour to lay strong foundations for a lifelong love of the written word and the English language.
The texts children read and study are carefully selected in recognition of their central importance in teaching children how texts are structured, how authors write, exposing them to diverse styles and contexts and helping to build cultural capital. The text scheme of work has been carefully crafted to become increasingly complex in style, content and theme. Careful consideration has been given to the phonic and vocabulary knowledge and reading experiences that children need in order be ready for the next stage in their education in key stge 2.
The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum provides a high quality, language and text based approach to the curriculum and begins the journey of a love of text and reading. In years 1 and 2, the National Curriculum English objectives are delivered through a carefully planned and sequenced progression of quality texts which form our scheme of work. By the time they leave Key Stage 1, pupils have had valuable exposure to a wide range of quality works of literature, including picture books, poetry and nonfiction and the introduction to longer chapter books in year 2. Units of work are thoughtfully planned to be progressive and provide the knowledge and skills necessary for children to become confident readers and writers, and to communicate effectively both verbally and through their written work. The curriculum actively promotes a love of reading for pleasure and the development of reading experiences beyond academic achievement. The careful selection of texts in our reading spine, book corners and recently refurbished library introduces children to a wide range of cultural diversities, develops their ability to empathise with others and promotes curiosity.
Implementation
The English curriculum has been designed to deliver the national curriculum objectives for reading, writing, spelling and grammar and speaking and listening through increasingly complex and challenging texts. Progression maps for each strand of the English curriculum make clear exactly what is to be taught in each year group and are further broken down into small steps for each term which feed into unit plans. The knowledge and skills necessary for children to become successful writers have been well considered and planned through the early writing statements which are taught directly from F1 onwards as part of English and across the wider curriculum. This provides clear and detailed expectations forl when children will be expected to form upper and lower case letters correctly, join their writing and how they will be taught to set their writing out in their books to maintain high standards of writing.
Text based unit plans provide the structure for the curriculum in Years 1 and 2, through meticulously planned teaching sequences which vary in length in accordance with the challenge and length of text and the age and stage of the children. Unit plans identify the specific reading, writing and spelling and grammar knowledge to be taught through small step objectives and also specify the outcome and vocabulary knowledge to be taught in each sequence. Unit plans identify the prior knowledge that each unit builds upon and the knowledge of context that children might need in order to access the text,
There is a high focus on Oracy throughout the curriculum, including both learning to talk and learning through talk. The progression map identifies the four component parts of the Oracy curriculum and the specific objectives for each year group.
Whilst the English curriculum incorporates directly taught reading and vocabulary knowledge, explicit teaching of reading also comes through the daily phonics lesson and reading practice sessions. Fully decodable texts are carefully matched to the phonic ability of pupils, allowing for the development of fluency and the direct teaching and practice of fluency and comprehension strategies.
Teachers model the specific reading knowledge and skills before allowing for independent practice within each session. The lowest attaining children also receive daily 1:1 reading support to develop fluency and comprehension in order to close gaps in their learning and accelerate progress. Our approach to Early Reading is explained in greater depth in the Early Reading section of the curriculum documentation.
Impact
Regular scrutinies of every child’s English book allow the subject leader and Senior Leadership Team to identify progress in reading and writing against the progression map and to check for fidelity with unit plans. Detailed feedback is given to individual staff and teams highlighting areas for improvement. The scrutiny pays particular attention to groups of learners including disadvantaged pupils and those with Special Educational Needs. This feedback enables teachers to address gaps in learning and secure greater progress for all. Each half term children complete a piece of writing in their assessment book which is then moderated in teams and used for both formative and summative assessment purposes. Assessments against the reading progression maps and tracking of book bands show progression in reading for individual children.
As a result, by the time children leave key stage 1 the vast majority are confident and fluent readers who have passed the phonic screen test and have read a range of challenging text types, styles and genres. Children’s written work is of a very high standard in both content, presentation and grammatical accuracy. Where children are at risk of falling beyond, additional support and intervention is quickly made available. As a result the outcomes in reading and writing at the end of EYFS and key stage 1 are significantly above the national average and have remained so over time.
By the time children leave Humberstone Infant Academy they are confident and skilled communicators both in oral and written forms. Our children talk passionately and knowledgeable about authors and about books and have developed the foundations needed to be successful in the next phase of their education. They write with control and flair for a range of purposes, including for pleasure, and are very well prepared for the curriculum challenges of Key stage 2.