English

English is one of the core subjects in the National Curriculum and as our main means of communication with each other it is a vital component in education. Language work is given a high priority at Hartlip School. Pupils' appreciation and use of standard English will be given a high profile.

Our English Curriculum gives pupils the opportunity to study a wide range of text types and genres, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Through this learning, pupils learn grammar, punctuation, spelling and sentence construction. Our Guided reading lessons link closely to our English lessons and our use of high quality texts, which enable us to teach pupils to read and understand a range of text types and genres.

Over the course of their primary learning, pupils will engage with a variety of high quality, carefully selected books/stories and poems, which progress as pupils develop their literacy skills and knowledge. When pupils leave Hartlip, they will be well-equipped with a bank of knowledge of authors, books poets, poems and styles of writing – Learning to Live, Living to Learn.

Our English Curriculum provides a progression of skills and knowledge ensuring pupil’s learning develops well and there are no gaps in their English learning.

Year R are included in our English Curriculum, despite their curriculum being followed. Our mixed-age Year R and 1 class, provides Year R pupils with a strong start in their literacy learning.

Our chosen books, authors, poems and poets have been carefully selected for the next two-year cycle. This aspect of our English Curriculum is original to Hartlip and the changing needs of our learners and cohorts.

Skills, text types/genres and objectives are clearly defined for each class and term to ensure clear progression.

We use Pie Corbett’s Talk for Writing learning sequences for our English lessons, using our own chosen books. This approach supports our pupils with learning to read as well as write.

Handwriting and spelling skills are taught throughout the week/term/year both explicitly and within lessons. Grammar is taught through English lessons.

The four main National Curriculum areas of study are Speaking and Listening, Reading, Writing and Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling or Phonics (according to age) are delivered mostly through approaches advised in Programmes of Study.

Speaking and Listening

Children are expected to participate as speakers and listeners in a variety of situations.  From the time they join us there will be opportunities for them to communicate in small groups, to take part in larger class discussions and whole school presentations e.g. in assemblies and concerts.  Our pupils are encouraged to become more confident and to develop an awareness of the kinds of talk needed in a whole range of situations.

Reading

When the children first start school, they are given every opportunity to experience pleasure and satisfaction through books.  They are helped to read using a variety of methods and strategies. Phonics provide a sound basis on which to build. There is a good range of decodable books in the Early Years and Key Stage 1 classrooms.

Children are encouraged to develop good reading habits by reading daily to parents at home and are heard as often as possible as is appropriate at school. Guided Reading takes place daily. Small or class groups of children share a book with an adult. Children are encouraged to improve their technical reading skills, add to their vocabulary, while learning to appreciate the beauty of language and how to predict plot and understand inference. Children who regularly share books at home are obviously at an enormous advantage.  Hearing your child read, reading to him or her, enjoying and discussing books, will contribute a great deal to reading progress.

School uses both an online reading platform called Bug Club, as well as sending home reading books in hard copies. Parents and children are encouraged to use both. We visit the mobile library and children have library skills sessions.

Children have reading buddies with who they read with regularly on a Friday afternoon.

Vulnerable readers are supported daily in class and those considerably behind their reading age are supported by the Reading Leader of Learning who is a Reading Recovery Teacher in Breakfast Booster sessions.

Our Reading Policy can be found here

Writing

Our children are encouraged to write for different purposes and audiences on a wide range of topics.  They start writing from their earliest days with us, expressing their own ideas in their own way.  As time goes by, the children learn to use writing to communicate information and ideas, record experiences, explore feelings and write for pleasure and entertainment.  This may include writing letters, magazines, guides, stories, poems, anthologies, journals and jokes.  They may be presented in the form of books and wall displays for children staff and visitors. Writing across the curriculum is a current focus with the same standard and target meeting expected in all areas.

 Children will be shown how to plan, draft and re-structure their work and to see the need for accurate spelling, punctuation and neat, legible handwriting.

 In school, we use Talk for Writing with enthuses children to become writers.

From their earliest days with us pupils will be encouraged to recognise shape and pattern in words.  As they become aware of phonics they will be able to start to build up simple words for themselves.  Their early attempts to communicate in writing will be valued and built upon.  All children will have access to suitable, attractive dictionaries and when appropriate will also have word books in which they can build up a bank of words which they want to use in their own writing.  As they progress, the children will be given appropriate spellings to learn on a regular basis.

The development of neat, legible handwriting is an important skill. The youngest children will develop pre-writing skills through pattern work and they will be helped to hold a pencil correctly. We shall encourage correct posture. Our pupils will be taught the basics of correct cursive letter formation. As soon as they are ready they will be taught how to join letters in a flowing style. As they progress and gain in confidence they will be encouraged to write in ink. Through regular practice it is hoped that all children will be able to develop a comfortable, flowing, legible style of handwriting which makes writing a pleasure instead of a chore.

Our Writing Policy can be found here

Phonics

In Key Stage 1 and the Early Years, we have followed the Letters and Sounds programme for Phonics. In accordance to the Government Validation scheme for phonics, we have chosen to adopt Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised as our scheme of fidelity.

The Early Years teacher is also the phonics leader. Lessons are carefully planned and structured around the interest and needs of each individual cohort. Our phonics results are at least in line with National, or better.

The phonics leader cascades training to all staff in Early Years, at any given time, as well as delivering phonics workshops to parents. Breakfast booster sessions take place to support vulnerable learners.