English is an integral part of effective communication – both receptive and expressive.
Through planned study, purposeful practice, and unplanned opportunities, all pupils will develop a wide vocabulary, and an understanding of grammar and linguistic conventions used across reading, writing and spoken language.
They will Learn to decode successfully and spell with increasing accuracy. This will support pupils to read with increasing confidence and competence, and appropriate fluency and good understanding. We will provide pupils with an enriched diet so that they develop a sincere passion for literature and appreciation of rich, varied literary heritage alongside contemporary authors. They will be read to, and read themselves, widely and often.
Our phonics approaches will enable pupils to learn to read so that they can read to learn, across the curriculum. Pupils will write clearly, accurately and with increasing style; adapting appropriately for a range of contexts and purposes.
They will use spoken language and writing to effectively communicate ideas and understanding across the curriculum.
Our school will foster and develop positive attitudes to all aspects of English and their purposes. We believe that all pupils, regardless of starting points or background, deserve to be taught towards these objectives. We are truly passionate that English can close attainment gaps and provide the effective starting points required for the next stages of their education and flourishing in life.

Implementation

We will meet the aims by using a long term plan detailing texts, genres and focus for learning from Nursery to Year two. We will also use detailed long term plans that detail coverage of reading and writing skills from Nursery to Year two. Teachers will create Short Term Planning in which lessons are planned and sequenced so that new knowledge and skills build on previous teaching.
Teachers will use a range of resources and schemes to help assist with own planning of English objectives. Staff will follow our school planning for Letters and Sounds. Pupils will be provided with a daily phonics lessons in which they practise, revise and build their knowledge of the alphabetic code and decoding & encoding skills.
Strategies like outdoor reading baskets, year group reading baskets, daily story time and experiences will be used to develop vocabulary and passion for literature. Staff will teach grammar in context to provide the knowledge and understanding required to effectively use it in their own writing and understand it when reading.
Our school will use a clear reading scheme that uses banded and decodable readers and e-readers to enable pupils to practise their skills. Pupils will practise Common Exception Words weekly for reading in EYFS and weekly for spelling from Key Stage 1; spellings are set individually. Teachers and Leaders will use assessment effectively and those struggling to develop their knowledge or skills are targeted to make improved progress. We will work in partnership with parents; regular workshops, information and videos are used to ensure that parents understand and can support learning and reading at home.
Leaders will provide regular, timely and targeted support for teachers on subject knowledge and pedagogical approaches.
All teachers will use effective learning strategies such as retrieval practice to help pupils embed knowledge and skills, allowing staff to focus on teaching increasingly ambitious knowledge and skills. Using research will be key for making improvements across the school, driven by the English Subject Leader and the English Research Group.

Impact

At Crownfield Infant and Nursery School, we expect that by the end of KS1 our pupils will discuss their favourite books, authors and genres; will read for pleasure and information, regularly and often; will write for a range of reasons inside and outside of the classroom curriculum; will have confidence in their knowledge and skills; will successfully apply their knowledge and skills to national assessments. The vast majority will make expected progress with a smaller percentage of pupils making accelerated progress; demonstrate confidence in the vast range of skills and knowledge taught.

In order for this to happen, the English leader takes responsibility for the monitoring of the English curriculum and the standards achieved by the pupils. The English leader will monitor for appropriate pitch and progression at least once every term. This monitoring takes the form of; lesson observations and feedback in each year group per term; learning walks and pupil voice conversations; planning scrutiny followed by support where necessary; book scrutiny every half term; termly data analysis and subject report to Governors.