'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.' National Curriculum 2014

Through the teaching and learning of English at Colliers Green we encourage pupils to have a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. 

Learning English supports our three school values:

• Aspiration: increasing confidence with sharing their work to the class, being able to achieve their targets, becoming successful and feeling proud of their outcome.
• Resilience:  to keep going, to understand we all make mistakes, practise makes perfect, editing work and feeling determined that their hard work will pay off.
• Community: to work with others in the class, peer encouragement, praise and acknowledging children's achievement.
   

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

As a school, we also aim to:

• speak confidently and listen attentively in a wide range of situations
• develop pupils' understanding of spoken and written language so that they become enthusiastic, responsive and knowledgeable speakers, readers and writers
• develop a love for reading, becoming fluent readers from an early age, decoding accurately and developing comprehension skills
• can write competently for a range of purposes in a variety of genres
• develop fluent and legible handwriting

'Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.'

Margaret Fuller

Reading

We want to inspire a love for reading within all of our children; reading underpins the teaching of English and enables pupils to succeed in all areas of the curriculum.

Phonics

We use Read, Write Inc to provide a solid foundation for the acquisition of phonics knowledge within Reception and Key Stage One classes. 

Guided Reading

In EYFS/KS1 the children read from the RWI scheme and then from appropriate phonic based reading books.

In KS2 the children have a class guided reading session and focus on targeted questions, modelling of inference and deduction skills as well as prediction, summary and discussion of new vocabulary. 

Writing

In EYFS there is provision for indoor and outdoor writing opportunities. The children use their emergent phonic skills to move from mark making to initial sounds. 

In KS1 and KS2 the children learn through a series of lessons focusing on different genres. Independent writing takes place within each type of genre taught and children are encouraged to show what they have been taught. Children are encouraged to use the punctuation and grammar taught. 

Spelling

In EYFS and Lower KS1 the children are using RWI Phonics and learning which sounds to place into different words. 

In KS1 and KS2 we continue to use Read, Write, Inc to teach spelling to ensure the children understand different spelling patterns and apply these within their work. 

Handwriting  

First children will be learning how to form letters using hands on practical experiences. In KS1 the children will be learning how to join letters together. 

In KS2 children will be building on the correct joins, a legible style and sizes of letters. Pen licences are given in KS2.