English Overview
At All Saints’, we have adopted The Literary Curriculum which has been developed by primary literacy specialists. It is a complete, thematic approach to the teaching of primary English that places children’s literature at its core. Children explore over ninety literacy texts and experience at least seventy-five unique and significant authors as they move through the school.
As a whole-school approach, it provides complete coverage of all National Curriculum expectations for writing composition, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary, as well as coverage of spelling, phonics and reading comprehension. Each unit of teaching leads to the purposeful application of key literacy skills within a wide range of different types of written outcomes.
Reading is also a key part of the English curriculum at our school. We see reading as a lifetime learning skill which provides children with enjoyment, excitement and an opportunity to gain information about the world around them. We aim to develop all children as readers who share a passion for books and reading.
The teaching of phonics begins in Nursery, where children develop their listening skills and learn to distinguish one sound from another by joining in with rhymes and songs and by playing games. Reading and phonics are taught daily in Reception and Key Stage 1 following the ‘Read, Write, Inc’ programme, with regular opportunities for the application of skills within English lessons. In Key Stage 2, daily guided reading lessons promote the development of key reading skills alongside text-based English lessons.
