English

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils, therefore, who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.

The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding

• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information

• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language

• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage

• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences

• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas

• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

English National Curriculum

Learning to Read and Write at St Edmundsbury CEVA Primary School

In Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, we teach your child how to read and write using phonics.  Phonics is a method of teaching children to read by linking sounds (phonemes) with the symbols that represent them (graphemes).

We use the Little Wandle Phonics Scheme to teach phonics.  This scheme is validated by the Department for Education and aims to build children's speaking and listening skills in their own right as well as prepare children for learning to read by developing their phonic knowledge and skills.  It is a detailed and systematic programme which begins when the children arrive in Early Years and aims for children to be reading fluently by age seven.

The scheme is split into different stages, known at phases.  Generally, the children will cover Phases 2 and 3 in Early Years and Phases 3, 4 and 5 in Year 1.  The phonics teaching continues into Year 2 where the children focus on applying their phonics.   

Little Wandle Phonics Parent Presentation

Phonics Powerpoint for Parents 2022

Parent and carers guide to pronouncing phonemes

Pronouncing phonic sounds accurately is incredibly important to the success of the scheme as it underpins the children's confidence in recognising and applying the sounds to their speaking, reading and spelling. This video is an excellent guide to pronunciation.
Please note that in Phase 5, although alternative spellings are taught, the pronunciation remains the same. An example is the way /aw/ and /au/ would be pronounced in the same way as /or/ in this video.

Teaching Reading at St Edmundbury CofE Primary Academy Y1-Y6

Though the teaching of phonics via Little Wandle continues throughout Key Stage One (and beyond for individual pupils if required), we supplement this with the CUSP reading curriculum, which continues all the way through school to Year six. 

Through CUSP, children will explore a range of text types and genres via a class book. This text will be read all together in class and part of reading lessons and children we be taught key reading skills such as inference, deduction and exploration of themes alongside this reading. 

CUSP is based around 3 key foundations:

• Explicit vocabulary teaching
• Explicit fluency teaching
• Opportunities to think hard about reading

Texts are chosen to challenge pupils whilst developing a love of reading and vary throughout the year to suit a variety if interest. 

Click here for more information on the CUSP English curriculum. 

Teaching Writing at St Edmundsbury CofE Primary Academy

In Early Years, pupils are taught early mark making and fine motor skills via Drawing Club. This creative approach to teaching writing skills helps pupils to develop their imagination through listening to stories and responding in their own way to what they have heard. 

Drawing Club works as follows:

• The 3Ms: The program is based on "Making conversation, Mark-making and Mathematics".
• Story portals: Each week, a quality text (e.g., a picture book, folk tale, or short film) is used as a springboard for drawing and imagination.
• Imagination and vocabulary: Children are encouraged to create their own magic within their drawings by giving their characters and settings superpowers or a "magic button." New vocabulary from the story is learned through actions and repetition.
• Secret codes: To link drawing to writing, children add "secret codes" or "passwords" to their drawings. These can be letters, words, or sentences, developing with the child's phonics knowledge.
• Adventure time: Later in the week, the group imagines alternate story endings or different scenarios, asking "What if...?" questions to develop narrative skills.

Click here for further information on Drawing Club. 

From Year One to Year 6, St Edmundsbury pupils access writing via the CUSP curriculum. This ambitious curriculum focuses on the development of key skills in writing and the application of these skills through exploring a wide variety of text types. 

Most terms begin with the teaching of 'Strong Starts'. This part of the scheme zooms in on the building blocks of writing, such a sentence development and structure, and gives pupils the confidence to apply this skills across all of their writing. 

Classes will then explore key text types across the year, which will be revisited, allowing them to build on prior learning and develop more independence in their writing as each year goes on. The aim is to make writing meaningful to pupils and develop resilience and motivation for writing. 

Click here for more information on the CUSP English curriculum. 

Handwriting

At St Edmundsbury, we recognise that handwriting and presentation quality is the first judgement anyone makes when reading a piece of work.  We follow the Nelson Handwriting programme to support our children in reaching the highest standards with their presentation.

Racing to Read

Racing to Read is our school's reading incentive aiming to encourage children to read regularly with an adult at home. At St Edmundsbury, we believe that working in partnership with families to develop reading skills is key in supporting children in their learning across the curriculum.