English

“The more you read, there more you’ll know.

The more that you learn, the more places you will go,”

Dr Seuss

Subject: English

Subject Coordinators: Rachel Castle and Kim Lomas

External Links: RWI, Lacey-Green English Hub, SHEADS English Hub and PIE group.

Vision and INtent

At Cheadle Primary School, we desire that every child is driven by the desire to

read- to explore new worlds, new characters, and new genres and to have an

appetite for reading that must be fed. Children will, consequently, be so filled

with imagination that they are compelled to share it through their writing, public

speaking and dramatic endeavours.

In pursuit of this vision, our English curriculum is built on a foundation of quality texts and books. Through our curriculum, our pupils have the opportunity to explore a wide range

of genres and authors which have been carefully and thoughtfully selected to link to

our curriculum and to stimulate curiosity and interest. As our texts often have links to our Geography, History or Science work, our aim is that children realise that English goes beyond the classroom and feeds into all subjects.

It is our passion that when children leave Cheadle Primary School, that they are

not only equipped with the skills and tools required to further their academic

studies, but most importantly with a love to read and write.

English Coordinator

Hi, we are Mrs Castle and Miss Lomas and we are the coordinators for English at Cheadle Primary School.

Our role is to ensure that English (reading, writing, spelling, phonics and oracy) is taught to a consistently high standard that enables all children to fulfil their potential. Our main goal is to ensure that each child leaves our school with the knowledge that they need to be successful in their everyday life. With this in mind, and through our carefully planned English curriculum, all children at Cheadle Primary School are exposed to the wonders of the English language on a daily basis.

Our passion for the subject can be traced right back to our own experiences of English whilst at school.

At primary school, I remember racing to read a hundred books in the year; competing in balloon debates and creating my own travel magazines. At secondary school, I took English Literature at A Level and particularly enjoyed trips to theatre. It is that my aim that all children remember their English lessons, experiences and activities as fondly as I do.

We love ‘test reading’ books for all year groups and get very excited when mapping out new planning with different teachers. Our favourite books change regularly but at the moment our top reads are:

EYFS- The Naughty Bus by Jan and Jerry Oke - What a naughty bus it is! Reception children love going around the school and inspecting the chaos created by The Naughty Bus. They interview different members of staff and each create a page for their own class book.

Y1- Man on the Moon by Simon Bartram - our Year 1 children adore meeting Bob and learning all about his adventures in Space!

Y2- Mama Panya’s - Pancake by Mary and Rich Chamberlin- this story transports our Year 2 children to the sunnier climes of Kenya. It is a clever and heart-warming story that teaches the importance of sharing. It complements our work on our RESPECT values beautifully

Y3- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - a classic that every child must experience!

Y4- Monster Slayer by Brian Pattern - a modern retelling of Beowulf. I love the use of language: it always inspires fantastic writing.

Y5- Viking Boy by Tony Bradman - the children love to be swept away with the drama, the blood and the gore.

Y6- Survivors by David Long - this selection of real-life survival stories always engages the children. We have a fantastic relationship with the author: we have met him virtually and he always replies to our emails.

Curriculum and implementation

English is a core subject of the National Curriculum. Reading, writing and spoken language are the three main focus. The curriculum states that the study of reading at Key Stages 1 and 2 consists of two dimensions:

word reading and comprehension. Writing is to be taught considering three dimensions: transcription (spelling and handwriting); vocabulary, grammar and punctuation and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing considering spelling, vocabulary and grammar). It is essential that teaching develops pupils’ competence in all dimensions.

Speaking and Listening is developed through:

Story telling,
Describing and listening to events and experiences,
Speaking and listening appropriately to different audiences including peers, teachers and other adults,
Speaking and listening appropriately in a variety of contexts across the curriculum,
Group discussion and interaction,
Drama and role-play activities,
Reading aloud,
Debate and presentation,
Recital of poetry,
Music.

English whole school long term plan

Reading at our school is developed through:

Reading is developed through various methods:

In EYFS and Year 1, children follow Read Write Inc. Year 2s also follow RWI in Autumn term (or until the programme is complete)
Talk Through Stories is used (particularly in EYFS) to extend and deepen children’s vocabulary so that they can understand the books they will soon be able to read for themselves.
Additional text- based English sessions in Year 1 supplement work completed in RWI but in a whole-class setting.
Whole class reading sessions take place 3 x weekly for children in Year 2 (after RWI), 3, 4, 5 and 6 using Fred’s Teaching methodology with very occasional reference to reading domains as specified by the Reading Framework.
In EYFS and KS1(or until needed), all children receive phonetically decodable books to encourage their independent reading as well as a ‘share with me book’ to encourage their love of sharing stories.
As soon as children have completed the RWI scheme, Accelerated Reader is used to help monitor home reading and reading for pleasure. Careful consideration and monitoring of AR ensures that children are not discouraged from challenging themselves and it does not become a point-scoring challenge.
A text-based approach is used to teach writing in every English lesson,
Interventions, KUNCU and additional support for children who are not making expected progress including Fast track and Fresh Start RWI support are put in place and regularly monitored by RWI lead, AR manager and Lacey Green English Hub.
A RWI lead who is able to monitor and coach staff.
A carefully-designed book spine runs throughout the school- this includes both texts used in English as well as our ‘Windows to the World’ suggested additional reading for each year group. Inspired by RWI’s Windows and Mirrors booklist, our spine ensures that all children see themselves in stories. Themes on our list include: family and friendship; exploring feelings; kindness and community; our planet; change and bereavement; moving home or country and the power of speaking up.
Pupils have access to a wide range of literature and non-fiction texts in classrooms and the school library.
Daily sessions of independent reading are timetabled where pupils have the opportunity to read, enjoy and share texts with other pupils and adults,
Parental involvement with reading is actively encouraged. Parents and families are invited to reading events, have access to suggested reading lists and are welcomed into our community library.

Writing at our school is developed through:

Writing is developed through:

The Read Write INC. writing programme for EYFS /Year 1and Year 2 (initially). This is supplemented with additional writing sessions with a focus on sentence construction as well as opportunities to write across the curriculum.
RWI spelling programme for Year 2,3,4,5 and 6.
A text-based approach to writing in KS2. English units in KS2 have a sequenced build up to at least two independent writes per half term with a sentence-stacking approach to support modelling. Grammar may be taught discretely but is usually taught through the text in order to provide context and purpose.
The use of Author Journals allowing children the opportunity to ‘publish’ their work giving a purpose to their editing process which uses ‘Austin’s Butterfly’ as inspiration for redrafting, peer critique and improving their work.
Daily grammar warm ups within each English lesson.
A writing spine across the school which ensures children write for a variety of purposes and explore different genres including narrative, poetry, reports, instructions, captions and lists, persuasive writing and play scripts,
A focus on sentence composition with the use of sentence development progression document to aid the teaching and development of sentence structure.
Teaching pupils to use a legible cursive style of handwriting (from Year 1) and making them aware of the importance of clear, neat presentation in order to communicate effectively,
Teaching pupils to control their speaking and writing consciously and to use Standard English.

Core Knowledge and skills

Please click on the links below to see our subject progression documents for English.

Writing Core Progression document

Conjunction and Adverbials Progression document

Exciting Sentences Progression document

Reading Progression Skills and Knowledge Grid

Six strategies to make reading for pleasure work in your school

Reading spine overview 2022 23.pdf

Knowledge Organisers

Please click on the links below to see our knowledge organisers for each year group

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6

assessment

Pupils’ development in English is constantly monitored and assessed in order to inform

future planning, teaching and reporting.

Otrack is a formal online monitoring system used by class teachers to input whether a child has not understood, is working towards, has achieved or has mastered

an objective.

Assessment of Speaking and Listening:

Pupils’ progress in speaking and listening is assessed informally using a variety of methods, but also formally using Otrack.

Assessment of reading:

Class teachers regularly input reading assessment into Otrack.
In EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2, children are assessed regularly by our RWI lead and data is inputted onto the RWI portal. This assessment informs groupings, highlights spotlight children and informs intervention management.
KS2 children take a termly STAR reading test and an Accelerated Reading Manager monitors the progress of the children.
Children also complete a fluency check and rubric each term.
Pupils’ reading behaviour (attitude to reading, chosen texts etc) is observed and noted by the class teacher or other adults, taking account of reading both in school and at home.
Pupils’ progress in reading is assessed through reading sessions.
Statutory assessment of reading occurs at the end of each Key Stage. The results of these assessments are monitored closely in order to inform targets for subsequent year groups.
Children complete NFER reading tests once a term- reading ages and scaled scores are monitored. Children in Year 2 and 6 sit previous SATS papers.

Assessment of writing:

Class teachers regularly input reading assessment into Otrack.
Pupils’ writing is assessed regularly against the appropriate learning objectives as detailed in the national curriculum.
Pupils’ progress in writing is assessed through writing opportunities in English and across the curriculum.
Moderation of writing takes place within and across year groups. Writing is also moderated across the local cluster schools.

Children complete RWI spelling assessments regularly. This is further supplemented with CEW spelling assessments.

cultural capital and enrichment

Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a child can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence; it is one of the key ingredients a pupil will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work.

In English, Cultural Capital can be gained in many ways:

Opportunities to read a wide range of genres/text type, discover many great authors and encounter diverse cultures.
The opportunity to meet, interview and learn from authors.
The chance to explore poetry both modern and classic.
Planned opportunities to enrich vocabulary.
Writing for a purpose and studying global issues
Planned trips and enrichment activities.

At Cheadle Primary, we place great emphasis on the importance of educational visits and visitors to enhance the teaching and learning of English. These visits and visitors, which provide valuable opportunities for learning through first-hand experience, are therefore an integral part of the curriculum and allow our children to make valuable connections between what they have learned in class and their first-hand experiences in the real-world. We have fantastic relationships with authors and often get tweets, emails and postcards from them.

Whole School Enrichment and Clubs: During their time at Cheadle, all children have access to a range of clubs and activities that enrich their experience of the English language. In recent years, this has included whole-academy celebrations on National Poetry Day and World Book Day, a ‘StarBooks’ experience, book clubs, drama clubs and also visits from a children’s author!

Accelerated reader

My name is Mrs Smith and I am the Manager of Accelerated Reader and look after the school library at Cheadle Primary. My role is to ensure all the children have exciting books to read, according to their level. By looking through each child’s individual report, I can inform teachers on how the children are getting on with AR quizzes and STAR tests.

Reading is the key to unlocking the imagination and knowledge that every child deserves to know. At Cheadle Primary School, Accelerated Reader puts the children in the driver’s seat by reading exciting and engaging books which is followed by quizzes. These quizzes help hone the children’s reading skills and develops achievement and growth for every child. The program is set in 4 stages:

Guide – Accelerated reader guides the children to achieve. Setting personal levelled books for the children.
Engagement – Setting personal books, which the children enjoy but also books which challenges each individual.
Practice – Accelerated Reader sets quizzes to monitor comprehension skills and literacy skills
Growth – by creating reports for teachers, where they can monitor and support each child’s progress

What is Accelerated reader?

Accelerated Reader is a computer program that helps teachers and teaching assistants to manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. The child will pick a book at their own level and reads it at their own pace. When finished, the child will take a short quiz on the computer. Accelerated Reader gives children, teachers, and teaching assistants feedback based on the quiz results, which the teacher then uses to help your child set goals and direct ongoing reading practice.

Children using Accelerated Reader choose their own books to read, rather than having one assigned to them. This makes reading a much more enjoyable experience as they can choose books that are interesting to them.

Teachers and teaching assistants help the children choose books at an appropriate readability level that are challenging without being frustrating, ensuring that your child can pass the quiz and experience success.

If a child does not do well on the quiz, the teacher or librarian may help your child:

Choose another book that is more appropriate.
Ask more probing questions as the child reads and before the child takes a quiz.
Pair a child with another student, or even have the book read to your child.

What are the quizzes?

Accelerated Reader includes several types of quizzes designed to support the development of several reading skills.

Quiz types include:

Reading Practice Quizzes are the most common type of assessment in Accelerated Reader. The purpose of these quizzes is to determine whether the child has read a book, to measure literal comprehension of the book, and to provide immediate feedback. Each Reading Practice Quiz consists of 3, 5, 10, or 20 multiple-choice questions depending on book level and length. They are available in English, Spanish, and Recorded Voice formats.

Vocabulary Practice Quizzes measure a child’s command of vocabulary words encountered while reading. They are designed to reinforce vocabulary, assist with individualising vocabulary instruction, and generate the child’s interest in words through literature experiences. Quizzes include 5, 10, or 15 words from a particular book as well as review words from previously read books.

Literacy Skills Quizzes are designed to give the child’s teacher information on specific reading skills. Questions are randomly generated, resulting in 12 or 24 quiz questions.

Other Reading Quizzes are designed to give the child’s teacher information on specific reading skills. Questions are randomly generated from a 36- or 60-item bank, resulting in 12 or 24 quiz questions.

What our pupils say

In March 2022, we selected a group of children to give us their opinion on English at Cheadle Primary.

We conducted this in the library. Perhaps our favourite response from a Year 1 child was “Can I just read now?”

Other comments included:

Reception child: “I like it when there are exciting things on the table!”

Year 1 child: “My favourite thing to write is sentences. Lots of them! Especially about toys”

Year 2 child: “Reading and writing makes me happy!”

Year 3 child: “I had so much fun writing about a robot puppy. My teacher really helps me by breaking the task down into smaller chunks”

Year 4 child: “In Year 4, we work as a team in English. We help each other with ideas and suggest improvements to our friends’ writing.”

Year 5 child: “My favourite part of the day is when we listen to the teacher read. We are never too old for that; you know?”

Year 6 child: “I love being able to be creative when writing fiction especially when I use DADWAVERS to help me. I don’t like to admit it but I do enjoy grammar revision sessions too,”

“Even though editing our work isn’t our favourite thing to do, we have stations which are fun and if we didn’t edit our work it wouldn’t be as good”