Our English Curriculum
We follow the National Curriculum 2014. This includes the teaching of speaking and listening, reading, writing, spelling and handwriting. From their earliest experience at our academy through to the end of Year 6, the children are exposed to a wide variety of rich, first-hand literacy experiences and a broad range of text types to engage, inspire and stimulate their imaginations.
As part of our daily timetable, we have planned English, GPS (Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling) and handwriting sessions. In addition, we also have daily Reading sessions as well as independent reading time. Wherever possible, we endeavour to make links between English and our thematic curriculum and provide children with additional opportunities to practise and embed their English skills.
The National Curriculum clearly states that teaching the English language is an essential, if not the most essential role of a primary school. At Newquay Junior Academy, teaching and learning core English skills is an essential priority, which we aim to embed across the curriculum, throughout school life and beyond.
The Literary Curriculum is a complete, book-based platform that covers all requirements of the Primary English National Curriculum. Whilst it is a complete scheme of work, written for a class 'somewhere' we adapt it to suit the needs of our academy.
The texts selected help children to grow ideas and expand their minds, using a range of significant and important children's literature both classic and contemporary. Writing units embed complete curriculum coverage and engage children to write with clear audience and purpose. Teaching through a text is the foundation of this learning.
By placing books at the core, we are allowing teachers to use the text as the context for the requirements of the national curriculum. The national curriculum states that:
‘‘This guidance is not intended to constrain or restrict teachers’ creativity, simply to provide the structure on which they can construct exciting lessons."
This would suggest that a context for learning is vital – and this is where our chosen approach can support teachers with ensuring that objectives for reading and writing, including those for grammar can have purpose. We will always aim for our writing opportunities to be meaningful and to feel authentic. Whether these are short or long and that the audience is clear.
Books offer this opportunity: our aim would be that that children have real reasons to write, whether to explain, persuade, inform or instruct and that where possible, this can be embedded within text or linked to a curriculum area.
Writing in role using a range of genres is key to our approach and we would always model the tone and level of formality. This sits comfortably alongside the following statement from the English national curriculum:
‘The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.’
In many cases objectives are covered more than once and children have opportunities to apply these several times over the course of a year, as well as to consolidate prior knowledge from previous years. This approach supports children to think deeply and develop skills with depth. Where needed, planning sequences will be adapted, personalised and differentiated by the academy to ensure all access arrangements can be made to support children with the requirements.
