English

English at Wootton Primary School

 

Intent:

English is a crucial component of education, and also within wider society. A mastery of written and spoken English empowers pupils to communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and understand the ideas and emotions of others through both reading and listening.  Experience of a wide range of high quality literature enables pupils to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually, building on what they already know. Development of creative writing unleashes and stokes imagination, inspiring the exploration of increasingly complex themes and issues in pupils’ own words. At Wootton Community Primary School, our aim is to develop:

  • A real love of reading
  • The understanding of broad, and sometimes complex themes and issues
  • Precise use of language to communicate ideas and emotions to others
  • Technical written proficiency
  • Creativity and imagination in their writing and use of spoken language
  • All of the above through the lens of authorial intent:  “Read as a writer; write as a reader”

Linked to our school values – Respect, Empowerment, Aspiration and Perseverance (REAP), English teaching at Wootton Community Primary School encourages pupils to engage with real-world issues and themes, understanding and respecting diversity. It empowers pupils to make up their own minds about complex issues, and provides them with the skills to communicate their own ideas and emotions clearly. English teaching should inspire pupils to aim high, introducing them to the transformative nature of words, and to high quality literature. It also enables pupils to develop their resilience, encouraging them to recognise that making mistakes leads to new learning, and teaching them how to work effectively in collaboration.

 

Implementation

Curriculum Design: In line with National requirements, our English curriculum at Wootton focuses on three key areas: Spoken Language, Reading and Writing.

Our school ethos is that “all pupils can achieve success” – all pupils are given opportunities to read, write and develop their use of spoken language at their own level of understanding.

Throughout each year group and across the whole school, pupils are taught the building blocks to be successful in Reading, Writing and their use of Spoken Language. This forms a spiral curriculum where knowledge, and skills are continually refreshed and built upon to ensure readiness for their next stage of learning. 

 

Phonics and Reading Schemes:

Phonics and early reading at Wootton Primary School

Our phonics scheme is Little Wandle: Letters and Sounds Revised

Our reading schemes (which are matched to the Little Wandle progression) are:
Little Wandle: Letters and Sounds Revised
Bug Club
Collins Big Cat
Oxford Reading Tree: Songbirds