Intent
At Bramley Oak Academy, we want every pupil to be inspired by their love of reading and writing and equipped with the skills necessary to clearly express their thoughts, feelings and ideas in speaking and writing. We aim to consistently revisit and review prior knowledge and provide opportunities for pupils to practice skills to ensure they are securely embedded and that pupils are engaged and curious about their next English lesson.
The teaching of all aspects of English is a priority across the curriculum. We promote speaking and listening opportunities so that pupils build their confidence in basic language skills to enable them to communicate effectively, preparing them for their future journey through education and beyond. A language-rich environment enables the children to access all areas of the school curriculum through a specialist understanding of vocabulary in each subject area.
Our English curriculum ensures explicit teaching of *spelling, grammar and handwriting so that children leave Bramley Oak Academy with a legible and consistent handwriting style, the ability to spell more confidently, able to make phonetically plausible attempts at new words and able to use grammar techniques to enhance their writing.
Our intentions:
- To ensure that every child becomes a reader, writer, and confident speaker.
- To inspire in each child a love of language, reading, writing, and high-quality literature.
- To provide an English Curriculum that is sequenced progressively and cumulatively to develop the acquisition of knowledge and skills.
Implementation
Our English Curriculum is packed with high quality books to engage all pupils; provide rich, memorable learning experiences and creative approaches. It is progressive, but mindful of previously acquired skills, as well as gaps in learning. We use the Power of Reading (PoR) developed by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) to support our planning, which places literature at the heart of the learning and is built on many years of research and best practice. This approach develops reading comprehension, writing composition, development in vocabulary and language, and fosters a whole school love of reading and writing. English units of work last between 1 and 2 weeks and are centred on a high quality text. Pupils are given the opportunity to practice writing in a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres across the year and this spiral approach to writing means children revisit learning, including grammar, which in turn builds their confidence and fills their gaps in understanding.
Our curriculum has a common thread of high-quality vocabulary. We introduce key vocabulary throughout the week in each subject area, when appropriate, which supports their language development. These words are shared in advance through our half termly curriculum maps which are sent home at the start of term. Specifically in English, the vocabulary chosen links to the genre of writing or the text being studied. This then further supports each child’s reading and writing progression and understanding. Any language gaps identified, or language needs and disorders stated in a pupil’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) are support through a range of strategies and approaches across the school. These needs are supported by 1:1 SALT intervention, specific teaching of vocabulary, the use of success criteria to break down steps and expectations into smaller manageable instructions, movement breaks, the management of cognitive load, over learning and interleaved learning for success and building confidence.
We teach Grammar discreetly at the start of English lessons for our pupils to develop their knowledge and vocabulary. This grammar teaching links to the genre of writing being studied as well as gaps in children’s understanding shown during formative assessment. The learning for this is then incorporated within the English lesson which follows, by modelling its use when discussing the genre of writing and the model text. This is to give our pupils the opportunity to practise their skills in a meaningful and contextualised way.
Spoken language is of high importance so that children leave Bramley Oak Academy being able to verbalise their ideas, opinions and feelings confidently. To develop speaking and listening, we use a range of forms included in the PoR scheme. This takes many forms, such as drama, balanced arguments (debate) and performance (for example, when studying poetry or when studying different aspects of History).
Handwriting is taught explicitly each day at Bramley Oak Academy, using the Nelson handwriting scheme. When a child joins Bramley Oak Academy, their handwriting is formatively assessed so that they are accurately supported in their letter formation development and/or their joined handwriting style. Writing resources used across the curriculum have been chosen to further support their handwriting development in each subject.
*Spelling will be taught using the RWI Spelling scheme from September 2023. Explicit spelling teaching will be given to those pupils who are accessing the Accelerated Reader scheme of Reading, including common exception words and spelling rules linking to their academic ability. Pupils accessing the RWI Phonics scheme are taught spelling during their discrete phonics sessions each day.
Impact
The pupils at Bramley Oak Academy are empowered with the confidence in their English understanding and the application of their skill. Pupils are able to express their thinking clearly using correct grammatical knowledge and clear handwriting and correct spelling. By focusing on spoken language they can articulate themselves clearly and this supports their ability to formulate opinions, confidently discuss, question and explore literature and texts. This we believe will have life changing impact on their future successes.
