Intent
At Keir Hardie it is our intent to provide our children with a Quality English curriculum that develops children’s love of writing,oracy and discussion. We strive to create lifelong learners, setting high expectations and recognise that literacy lies at the heart of this.
We Inspire excellence and develop appreciation of our rich and varied literary heritage and a habit of writing widely and often. We create opportunities for our children to communicate effectively using rich vocabulary, bringing the best out of each child.
We invest in the development of oracy throughout the school by implementing talk for learning strategies throughout the curriculum. A regular speech and language therapist offers bespoke support to practitioners, pupils and families. Through the teaching of oracy skills we ensure that our children are confident in the art of speaking and listening and can use discussion to communicate and further their learning.
Our highly skilled adults recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where children take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts. We have a secure knowledge base in English, which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum.
Storytelling and purpose for writing is key to our writing programme. Children are skilfully taught to think like a writer and to use tools that will create an effect on the reader. At Keir Hardie we teach writing through the Talk for Writing model, which stresses the importance of talk prior to writing. Grammar, spelling and handwriting are woven through writing models as well as being explicitly taught.
Vocabulary is skilfully taught at all levels ensuring our children are equipped with the vocabulary they need to be successful learners.
Implementation
To achieve our Intent, Our Curriculum is well sequenced and coherent to ensure that pupils have opportunities to recap and deepen their understanding. The curriculum is designed to develop the basic skills in writing.
National Curriculum genres are selected in consultation with staff and follow the national programme of study- From EYFS supporting low starting points in Communication, literacy and language through to Yr6.
‘Talk for Writing’ from EYFS to Year 6 as the vehicle for teaching writing. This is to ensure a consistent and systematic approach to teaching the skills of writing across all cohorts. This also means that children already have key elements of the process embedded as they transition to the next year group.
Early writing is taught through mark making, then when the children begin learning Phonics in EYFS, they are taught the letter formations. This begins with writing letters, CVC words then moving on to short sentences using the sounds they have been taught. As part of Talk for Writing the children learn stories and have the chance to write their own. Children are encouraged to write independently in continuous provision.
With all new units of work, children are asked to write a ‘Cold Task’. Teachers use this to assess the areas of grammar, punctuation and text structure that the children in their class and year group will need to be taught.
Each unit of work is underpinned by the three ‘I’s – Imitation, innovation and Invention. Imitation involves getting to
know a text inside out. Innovation involves being taught the craft of writing and having a go and invention involves the
children applying their new skills to a new context.
Impact
Our pupils enjoy writing and use the features of different genres and styles. Pupils can confidently write for different purposes and audiences. Our pupils make good progress from the cold to the hot task.
Teachers moderate pupils work half termly in school and with other schools to ensure accurate assessments are made. The quality of writing in English and curriculum books is evaluated by learning walks, drop ins, pupil conferencing and work scrutinise. These inform future areas for improvement and the impact of new initiatives.
All pupils make good progress against attainment expectations in English and continue to exceed national and local attainment data at the end of KS1 and KS2.
By the end of Key Stage 2 children have developed a writer’s craft, they enjoy sustained writing and can manipulate language, grammar and punctuation to create effect. As all aspects of English are an integral part of the curriculum: skills taught in the English lesson are transferred into other subjects. This shows consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific language, grammar and punctuation.
Disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, achieve exceptionally well.