English

The study of English develops children’s ability to listen, speak, read and write for a wide range of purposes, including the communication of their ideas, views and feelings.  Children are enabled to express themselves creatively and imaginatively as they become enthusiastic and critical readers of stories, poetry and drama, as well as of non-fiction and media texts.  Children gain an understanding of how language works by looking at its patterns, structures and origins.  Children use their knowledge, skills and understanding in speaking and writing across a range of different situations.

The aims of teaching English are:

• to enable children to speak clearly and audibly, and to take account of their listeners;
• to encourage children to listen with concentration, in order to identify the main points of what they have heard;
• to show children how to adapt their speech to a wide range of circumstances and demands;
• to teach children effective communication, both verbal and non-verbal, through a variety of drama activities
• to help them become confident, independent readers ,through an appropriate focus on word, sentence and text level knowledge;
• to develop enthusiastic and reflective readers, through contact with challenging and substantial texts;
• to foster the enjoyment of writing, and a recognition of its value;
• to encourage accurate and meaningful writing, be it narrative or non-fiction;
• to improve the planning, drafting and editing of their written work.

Teaching and learning style

At Sidcot, we use a variety of teaching and learning styles in our English lessons, as recommended by the National Literacy Strategy.  Our principal aim is to develop children’s knowledge, skills and understanding.  We do this through a combination of specific whole class and independent daily activities focussed on the fundamental skills in literacy and language and integration of English within the other foundation subjects.  Whilst there is a high proportion of whole class and group teaching, independent activities give an opportunity to talk and collaborate, embedding and enhancing their learning.

Alongside the daily activities, our children experience a wide range of texts, fiction and non fiction and learn how to research online.  Children use ICT in English lessons where it enhances their learning, as in drafting their work and in using multimedia to study how words and images are combined to convey meaning.

The Foundation Stage

We teach English in reception classes as an integral part of the school day.  The format for the daily lesson is similar to that used in the rest of the school.  We give all children the opportunity to talk and communicate in a wide range of situations, to respond to adults and to each other, to listen carefully, and to practise and extend their vocabulary and communication skills.  They have the opportunity to explore words and texts, to enjoy them, to learn about them, and to use them in various situations.