English

Click here for our reading policy, including information on the key texts, poems and rhymes we will share in each class.

Our English curriculum is based on the National Curriculum, and on the recognition that, in all areas of life, the ability to communicate effectively, either through reading, writing, speaking or listening is key.  In 2019, we purchased the Cornerstones Curriculum as the basis of our wider curriculum in order to ensure we fully cover all of the requirements of the National Curriculum and much of our work in English stems from these topics.   We adapt this curriculum to our school by giving our children opportunities to read, write and talk about the things that interest them, and by selecting topics that promote these interests.

We want all our pupils by the end of Year Six to be able to:

• read and write with confidence, fluency and understanding;

• be able to orchestrate a full range of reading cues (phonic, graphic, syntactic, contextual) to monitor their reading and correct their mistakes;

• understand the sound and spelling system and use this to read and spell accurately;

• have fluent and legible handwriting;

• have an interest in words and their meaning and a growing vocabulary;

• know, understand and be able to write in a range of genres in fiction and poetry, and understand and be familiar with some of the ways in which narratives are structured through basic literary ideas of setting, character and plot;

• understand, use and be able to write a range of non-fiction texts;

• plan, draft, revise and edit their own writing;

• have a suitable technical vocabulary through which to understand and discuss their reading and writing;

• be interested in books, read with enjoyment and evaluate and justify their preferences;

• through reading and writing, develop their powers of imagination, inventiveness and critical awareness.

• To be able to speak with confidence in different situations

Please read on below to find more information on what we teach, how we teach it and how we ensure we are creating authors of the future!

Why do we learn English?

We are creating future authors, poets, journalists by ....

• ensuring children have opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills, including developing a wide vocabulary they are able to use well
• taking a structured approach to developing core reading and writing skills so that children can communicate effectively
• revisiting key skills and knowledge across the primary years to ensure reading and writing skills are embedded and can be used in different subjects and contexts
• giving children regular opportunities to write freely on topics that interest them, including in Journalism Club
• developing children's interest in, and curiosity about, the world around them through extensive reading
• ensuring children have opportunities to ask and answer questions, developing their ability to discuss and debate
• equipping children with the knowledge they need to understand the importance of good communication to their lives today and in the future
• developing children's ability to make predictions, interpret their findings, record results and report back on what they have found with increasing accuracy and confidence
• ensuring children are aware of the need to be good communicators, through paper-based or technology-based communication, in almost all careers they may aspire to
•   introducing children to the wide range of jobs writers can do and nurturing their ambitions to work in communication-based jobs in the future, contributing to their communities and the wider world

What do we learn?

Whole School Curriculum Map

Our Whole School Curriculum Map for the different aspects of English can be found below. 

They show how different skills will be developed over your child's time at Great Tey.   

Phonics and Spelling  Whole School Map                     Twinkl Phonics Overview 

Reading Whole School Map                                         Reading Key Texts

Writing Whole School Map                                          Handwriting Whole School Map

Speaking and Listening Whole School Map

Class Maps

Please see below for our Class Maps, which give further information on skills development in your child's year group. 

Ducklings -       Reception 

Sparrows -      Year One            Year Two

Robins -          Year Three         Year Four

Woodpeckers - Year Five          Year Six

What does our learning in English help us to do?

- develop our understanding of the world around us

- ask and answer questions, developing our ability to ask questions of increasing relevance

- develop our vocabulary so that we can research, debate, report, question and justify with increasing clarity

- consider our audience, using vocabulary and language to interest and engage them

- make connections

- prepare for our future, whichever career we choose

Click here for our Key Objectives in English

Reading Schemes at Great Tey 

We use a variety of reading schemes, including the internet resource Bug Club which can be accessed from home. Teachers will add appropriately levelled books for your child to this resource at different times during the year.  All pupils have logon details and workshops are run to show parents how to support their children to use this resource effectively.  

Other reading schemes we use a lot in school are -

Twinkl Rhino Readers (published by Twinkl and linked to our phonics scheme)

Reading Rockets (Published by Rising Stars)

Oxford Reading Tree (Published by Oxford)

Bug Club Books (Published by Pearson)

Project X (Published by Oxford)

We also have a wide variety of non-scheme free readers which children can choose once they achieve a level of fluency.