Proverb
Our ‘literacy-rich’ curriculum aims to motivate and inspire children, through a series of lessons that engage and challenge all learners and provides them with a high standard of language and literacy skills. English is embedded within all our lessons, and we strive for a high level of English for all. We believe this is vital for achieving success at school and later in life. We aim to ensure that every child becomes primary literate and progresses in the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening. We believe that the ability to read and write is fundamental to our children succeeding; enabling them to access the next stage of their education and beyond.
Our curriculum is designed to equip pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature, through widespread reading for enjoyment. It aims for all children to acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language. Warbstow’s children will be immersed in a world of high-quality texts that cover genres such as fiction, non-fiction, mental health and well-being, global learning, visual literacy and poetry; from reception through to Year 6. Our curious curriculum uses high quality texts as its foundation, all texts are chosen carefully enabling children to be curious learners as well as further develop their literacy skills. All texts are identified and planned for through our Long Term and Medium-Term planning. We understand that a good grasp of English is the foundation of the entire curriculum and that children who are confident and adept readers and writers will be empowered to succeed in all other areas.
Our English curriculum promotes children’s Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development, ensuring that they are reflective and responsible citizens. Fundamental British Values are actively promoted in English lessons in order to prepare the children for life in Modern Britain.
Reading
Children at Warbstow will learn to read fluently and demonstrate good understanding and comprehension. Our children will engage with a range of genres and develop their understanding of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Our aim is for all children to read well and to enjoy the art of reading; early reading is invested in, and prioritised. We are committed to a systematic, synthetic phonics program of learning. We have fidelity to the Read, Write Inc program.
Our curriculum has been designed to ensure that children have opportunities to develop a genuine love of reading. We want our children to gain a thirst for reading a range of genres and participating in discussions about books; exploring the language used by different authors and the impact the written words have on the reader. Our curriculum has also been designed to ensure that our children not only read for pleasure, having had access to a wide range of text types, genres and authors, but to use books to research and gather new knowledge to extend their understanding. All reading books are carefully chosen and matched to reading ability.
When children leave Warbstow, we expect them to be avid readers, children who read fluently and widely and are able to express preferences and opinions about the texts that they read. The progression of reading is given careful consideration and is mapped out on our progression document.
Writing
Our curriculum has been designed to ensure that our children enjoy writing and demonstrate passion and enthusiasm. Our aim is to ensure that pupils write clearly, accurately and coherently for a range of contexts; write in different styles and for different purposes and audiences; develop a wide vocabulary and a solid understanding of the grammar rules and terminology appropriate for their age group; apply spelling patterns correctly and use neat handwriting. We immerse the children in a curious and enquiry led curriculum which is carefully planned so that they are writing for real and engaging purposes.
Our curriculum has also been designed to ensure that children write with confidence, whilst developing their own individual flair and are able to express themselves creatively and to communicate effectively with others. We aim to expose our children to a wide range of high-quality vocabulary and then use this within their own writing, both informally and formally, with understanding. We encourage children to take pride in the presentation of their writing, and develop a neat, joined, handwriting style by the time they leave our school and move to secondary school. We teach children spelling and grammar both discretely and as part of our analysis of texts and provide opportunities for them to apply these skills to their own writing.
We believe that all good writers refine and edit their writing over time, so in an age appropriate way, we want children to be able to identify their own areas for improvement in pieces of writing, so that they can edit their work effectively during and after the writing process. We want children to understand and learn the craft of writing so that they plan produce and publish something of which they are proud. The progression of writing through each year group can be found in our writing progression document.
Speaking and Listening
At Warbstow, speaking and listening is developed from EYFS and beyond. We want our children to be able to express themselves with confidence, as we believe that it is central to their learning. We nurture children’s speaking and listening skills and plan opportunities to develop these in all lessons. We develop these skills so that our children are capable of expressing their own ideas clearly and confidently, in a safe and supportive environment, in all aspects and areas of their school life. These skills are being encouraged in every area of our curriculum, as good communication skills can enhance every type of learning. The children are encouraged to explore ideas through talk; challenge each other’s opinions and develop their own reasoned arguments, as well as talking in full sentences with a clear and confident voice.
Grammar and Punctuation
At Warbstow, we are determined that every child that leaves in Year 6 will have accessed and experienced detailed and precise teaching of all expected grammar objectives. If these are not achieved at the expected time, then they will be reviewed and covered in consequent year groups.
Implementation:
In English, we implement an inclusive curriculum that meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. Our curriculum is well-planned and provides children with the opportunity to engage with high- quality texts that span across all text genres. Our progression documents set this out. We ensure that we regularly review previous learning, to ascertain children’s starting points and assess for misconceptions or gaps in learning.
At Warbstow, we have discrete English lessons. However, English is the cornerstone of our entire curriculum. It is embedded within all our lessons and we strive for a high standard of English for all. Our ‘literacy-rich’ curriculum uses high-quality texts, immerses children in vocabulary-rich learning environments and ensures curriculum expectations and the progression of skills and knowledge are met.
Our curriculum is delivered through highly effective ‘quality first teaching’. Enrichment opportunities, including outdoor learning, inspirational visitors and exciting educational visits, provide our children with rich experiences and enhance teaching, learning and knowledge.
Our well-planned English curriculum ensures that children develop the skills, knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to communicate effectively and creatively through spoken and written language. Through the breadth and depth that our curriculum offers, children are equipped with the skills to become lifelong learners and to enjoy and appreciate literature and its rich variety.
Read, Write Inc is the program we show fidelity to across the EYFS and KS1, and beyond if appropriate. The systematic, synthetic approach to the teaching of phonics and early reading skills ensures all children acquire the necessary skills for reading early on in their school journey. Children are regularly assessed by the Reading leader for progress and any gaps are quickly acted upon.
Reading comprehension across KS2 is taught using the VIPERS method, it ensures children are taught the skills of vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval and summarising.
Story time is integral to daily life at Warbstow, a high quality text is enjoyed with the children each day, ensuring children are listening to stories for pleasure.
Impact:
Our well-planned English curriculum ensures that children develop the skills, knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to communicate effectively and creatively through spoken and written language.
Through the breadth and depth that our curriculum offers, children are equipped with the skills to become lifelong learners and to enjoy and appreciate literature and its rich variety. It leads them to become informed, enthusiastic and skilled readers and writers, who can engage with texts and the world around them, as reflective and independent thinkers.
The impact as our children journey through school from EYFS to Year 6 is clear: progress, sustained learning and transferrable skills. We are able to measure attainment using the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 national assessments, along with the information provided by teacher assessments for writing, reading and Grammar, punctuation and spelling. We hope that as children move on from us to further their education and learning, that their creativity, passion for English and high aspirations travel with them and continue to grow and develop as they do.
