“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 who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.”
Primary National Curriculum for English (DfE) 2014
“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.”
Primary National Curriculum for English (DfE) 2014
ENGLISH CURRICULUM STATEMENT
At Alfriston Primary School we strive for excellence in all areas of English achievement throughout the school. Reading and literature sharing are at the heart of our teaching of English as we believe that reading is one of the main resources we have for showing children what words can do. We recognise that the acquisition of English, both spoken and written, is fundamental to the overall development of the child and their access to the curriculum in all its aspects ‘Fluency in the English language is an essential foundation for success in all subjects’ (National Curriculum in England: framework for key stages 1 to 4, Section 6.1) Our main aims are to ensure every single child becomes primary literate and progresses in the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening and to allow them access to the full curriculum on offer.
Our English curriculum is built around the ‘rich text’. In placing high quality texts at the heart of our planning in every year group, we can offer a diverse landscape of learning experiences and develop children’s knowledge, understanding and use of spoken and written English within a balanced and exciting curriculum.
OUR CURRICULUM INTENT FOR ENGLISH
With these aspirations, our intent for the English curriculum is:
- To provide a well-planned and resourced curriculum;
- To provide a rich and stimulating language environment, where speaking and listening, drama and role play, reading and writing are integrated;
- To develop a love of books and high-quality literature that will not only support learning across the curriculum, but also extend beyond the classroom environment and enrich our children’s lives;
- To develop enthusiastic and reflective readers, through contact with challenging and substantial texts;
- To enable pupils to speak clearly and audibly, and to take account of their listeners;
- To encourage pupils to listen with concentration, in order to identify the main points of what they have heard;
- To teach pupils to adapt their writing depending upon context, purpose and audience;
- To develop an awareness of purpose and audience for both written and oral language;
- To encourage accurate and meaningful writing, be it narrative or non-fiction;
- To improve the planning, drafting and editing of their written work;
- To enable pupils to apply their knowledge and understanding across the curriculum.
