English

Intent:

At the Avenue, we make the teaching of English the foundation of our curriculum. Our belief is that speaking and listening, reading and writing are the keys to all learning and our ability to communicate. We are determined to help our children develop into articulate and imaginative communicators, to support and enhance their thinking and understanding of the world around, them through a broad, rich and engaging English curriculum.

Our use of high-quality texts, vocabulary-rich learning environments and a varied and engaging curriculum, ensures the English progression of skills are met. Alongside this, developing a love of reading, writing and children with confident speaking and listening skills.  We mindfully ensure we equip our students with the necessary skills and passion to support them at The Avenue, into their forthcoming secondary education and continuing forward into later life.

Implementation:

Following on from our Early Reading and phonics foundation, from year 2, children engage in whole-class reading sessions, which ensure that reading is explicitly taught, using ambitious texts which enhance our wider curriculum. Within these lessons, time is also taken to explicitly teach vocabulary encountered in our reading, to enable our students to learn a variety of words and increase their own, overall comprehension of a text. We have developed our own Avenue 50 range of books, specifically for each year group, to ensure the children have high-quality, challenging and diverse books to read themselves and to have read to them. Our daily story time sessions, in every year group, ensure the children are read to regularly and share, discuss and enjoy the endless possibilities of books and the magic they bring.

Children not only have the Avenue 50 book selection to explore, but our school library entices children to explore more books that engage and excite them. Mythical and magical, informative or inspirational, we have books for every age, ability and personality. The children can access this in learning and breaktimes, to ensure maximum exposure to the varied text on offer and to promote their love for reading.

In writing, our lessons are meticulously planned to ensure the lessons meet the needs of all our learners. Early writing, up to year 1, focusses on letter formation, fine motor skills, phonetically correct spelling and basic punctuation. These are the key foundations to successful writing in their journey through school. Children then progress through the school using The Write Stuff lesson structure to support them to use a broad wealth of ambitious vocabulary, along with modelling the more technical aspects of grammar. This develops children’s confidence to explore their creativity and become confident independent writers too.

Our writing curriculum develops progressively and ensures that children are taught how to write narrative, poetry and a range of non-fiction texts. Our daily writing lessons are also enhanced with short spelling, punctuation and grammar sessions throughout the week to ensure the children know, and can apply, those key elements of writing.

Children are also explicitly taught spelling from year 2 and handwriting in every year group. We follow the Letter – Join handwriting scheme and the SpellShed spelling scheme. These ensure a clear progression of skills, and are mapped to ensure coverage of the National Curriculum and to support our children’s writing journey at The Avenue.

Impact:

The impact on our children is clear: progress, sustained learning and transferable skills. With the excellent foundation of Little Wandle and a well thought-out, engaging curriculum, children at The Avenue are becoming more confident readers and secure and creative writers. By the end of Key Stage Two, the children at The Avenue are very familiar with reading and writing a variety of different genres.

As all aspects of English are an integral part of the curriculum, cross-curricular writing has improved with skills taught in discrete lessons which are being transferred into different subjects showing consolidation and a more in-depth understanding of English as a whole.

We aim for children to leave The Avenue with a love of reading and writing and high aspirations to develop their love and foundation skills in their further education and life beyond.