English & Phonics

From Fairy Tales to Shakespeare…

Intent

At Bewsey Lodge, we are incredibly proud of our exciting and engaging curriculum, which is underpinned by effective English teaching. Our aim is to enable children to access and understand the world using a wide range of vocabulary, high-quality texts, and engaging writing opportunities. Not only that, we want to inspire children to be confident when speaking and listening and to be able to use discussion to communicate and further their learning. 

Implementation

Reading, Phonics and Spelling

In the Foundation stage and Key Stage 1, children learn phonics and early reading and writing through the Read Write Inc. programme, which is taught every day alongside additional reading, writing, and grammar-focused lessons.

The Read Write Inc programme supports our youngest children to begin to recognise sounds and decode words, ultimately helping their ability to read. Lessons are grouped to ensure children are working on sounds which suit their ability and help the progress of their learning at that their own level. Books are sent home according to the sounds being taught in their groups, to consolidate this learning at home. In Year One, children take part in a Phonics Screening Check to assess their ability to decode words and read them. In Key Stage 2, students continue with the Read Write Inc. spelling programme to further develop their spelling and phonics skills.

We also follow the Complete Comprehension scheme to support children in developing the secure and confident application of comprehension skills. Sessions are taught four times a week, with each week centred around a focus text. These texts are taken from a range of genres, including contemporary and classic fiction, and provide opportunities for explicit vocabulary instruction alongside the development and application of comprehension skills.

Each week, children will complete four lessons centred around the focus text:

• Lesson 1: Vocabulary and language focus

• Lesson 2: Grammar and punctuation focus

• Lesson 3: Modelling and practising a key comprehension area

• Lesson 4: Mixed comprehension

By employing this consistent approach, all pupils are exposed to a range of genres and texts while developing the vocabulary, knowledge and comprehension skills needed to fully understand what they are reading.

For an example of the skills and texts covered in Year 3, see below:

Complete Comprehension Overview Year 3

Writing

The National Curriculum (2014) forms the basis of all writing teaching at Bewsey Lodge. We have adopted the I’m a Clever Writer approach to provide a consistent, purposeful and progressive approach to teaching writing from Year 1 to Year 6.

Through this approach, children are taught the knowledge, skills and strategies they need to become confident and independent writers. They are given regular opportunities to explore high-quality texts, develop their vocabulary, examine how authors use language and structure, and apply what they have learned in their own writing.

Our writing units are primarily driven by carefully selected focus texts, which provide rich opportunities for children to read, discuss and respond to a range of genres and writing styles. Where appropriate and purposeful, we make links between these focus texts and our wider curriculum, enabling children to draw on their knowledge and experiences from subjects such as History, Geography, Science and PSHE.

In addition to our writing units, we value opportunities for children to write across the wider curriculum. Children are encouraged to use and develop their writing skills in subjects such as Science, History, Geography and PSHE, helping them to understand that writing is an important tool for communicating their ideas and demonstrating their learning in every area of the curriculum.

There are numerous workshops, visitors, trips and events organised throughout the year to encourage children’s creativity and inspire a love of reading and writing. These experiences provide children with exciting opportunities to develop their imagination, broaden their experiences and find authentic reasons to communicate through writing.

In the past, we have had a visit from a storyteller as part of our World Book Day celebrations; poetry workshops for KS2 children with Rhythmical Mike, Terry Caffrey and Ian Bland; and trips to the theatre to see ‘Matilda’, ‘Lion King’, ‘The Smeds and the Smoos’ and ‘Billionaire Boy’.

Something incredibly special at Bewsey Lodge is our LAMP books (Look At My Progress). Children from Year 1 to Year 6 complete two pieces of writing in their LAMP book every half term. These books accompany children throughout their school journey, providing a wonderful record of their development as writers. They enable teachers, visitors and, most importantly, the children themselves to celebrate the progress they make as they move through school.

Speaking and Listening

At Bewsey Lodge, we recognise that speaking and listening are fundamental to learning, communication and children’s future success. We aim to develop confident speakers who can listen carefully, express their ideas clearly, justify their opinions and respond thoughtfully to others.

Speaking and listening are embedded across the curriculum. Children are given regular opportunities to develop their skills through discussion, questioning, collaborative learning, presentations, debates, role play, drama and performance. They are taught to listen to and build on the ideas of others, explain and justify their thinking, and adapt their language for different audiences and purposes.

Our writing lessons provide opportunities for children to rehearse and develop their ideas orally before writing. Drama and role play are used where appropriate to develop vocabulary, explore different perspectives and support children in organising their ideas.

Teachers use ongoing assessment, modelling and feedback to support children in becoming confident communicators who can speak clearly, listen effectively and communicate appropriately in a range of contexts.

Impact

Through termly assessments, including past SATs papers and Testbase papers, children demonstrate their comprehension and word-reading skills. Teachers also assess children’s independent writing using writing assessment checklists, which are created in line with the National Curriculum objectives.

Our English Curriculum ensures that children leave Bewsey Lodge Academy:

• With a love of reading. Children are able to reference a wide range of different authors, from different literary traditions and genres. 

• With a love of writing. They are able to express their opinions and their creativity in writing that is well structured, clear, technically accurate and interesting to read. 

• Able to express their opinions and thoughts verbally.

• Having made the best possible progress as a result of consistent, Quality First Teaching and, where appropriate, additional interventions. 

• Confident to try new things, experiment with their writing, take risks and continue to expand their experience of reading.