English

Literacy Changes Lives 

Through wisdom is a house built; and by understanding it is established. And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong; a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

Proverbs 24

There is overwhelming evidence of the inextricable link between Literacy and an individual's happiness and success. It is therefore imperative, if we are to ensure that our children 'have life and have it in abundance', that we focus on the pre-eminent skill: that of reading. We encourage children to read not just for purpose, but also for pleasure. Indeed, reading for pleasure has been revealed as the most important indicator of the future success of a child (OECD, 2002).    

To be literate is to become liberated from the constraints of dependency. To be literate is to gain a voice and to participate meaningfully and assertively in decisions that affect one's life. To be literate is to gain self-confidence. To be literate is to become self-assertive. To be literate is to become politically conscious and critically aware, and to demystify social reality. Literacy enables people to read their own world and to write their own history. Literacy makes people aware of their basic human rights and enables them to fight for and protect their rights. Literacy enables people to have a greater degree of control over their own lives. Literacy helps people to become self-reliant and resist exploitation and oppression. Literacy provides access to written knowledge - and knowledge is power. In a nutshell, literacy empowers. Kassam (1994: 33)  

Intent, Implementation & Impact

Good English skills underpin achievement across the curriculum. 

At BCS we cultivate an enjoyment of reading and writing and develop children’s oral communication skills in order to equip them for education and for life.

In our most recent (March 2020) Ofsted report, the following comments were made regarding the teaching of English at BCS:

Reading is extremely important in the school. Children learn letters and sounds as soon as they start in the Reception class. Most pupils reach the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. By the end of early years and key stage 1, pupils’ attainment in reading is excellent.

The school has a rich and varied supply of books. Pupils told me they get lost in the books that they read. They relish the stories that teachers read to them. Teachers encourage children from the Reception class onwards to understand and explain what they are reading. By the time they are in Year 6, pupils’ ability to draw on their knowledge of a range of stories and texts, to make comparisons and to think critically is exceptional.

Writing is a significant strength of the school. Most children in Reception can write several sentences by the time they leave for Year 1. Older pupils draw on their vast knowledge and understanding of books and texts to add richness and colour to their writing. Teachers’ expertise at teaching grammar, punctuation and spelling ensures that pupils achieve exceptionally well by the time they leave Year 6.

Intent:

• Teach the children to read and speak aloud with confidence, fluency and expression.

• As they progress through the school, develop articulacy in their responses to what they read and teach them to evaluate and appreciate deeper meanings within texts.

• Teach the children to write effectively across a range of genres, considering audience and purpose. 

• Develop a rich vocabulary.

• Through reading and writing, develop their creative and critical thinking skills. 

• Create platforms for the children to build effective oracy, discussion and debating skills. 

• Use ICT to support the children’s learning across the English curriculum.  

Implementation:

Speaking & Listening

• We teach children the importance of good speaking and listening skills through discussion and debating activities and through them performing their own compositions and those of others.

• The children learn to enunciate properly and to speak clearly, confidently, fluently and appropriately for their audience. 

• We use classroom strategies such as talking partners alongside whole class and group discussions. 

• We develop the children’s speaking and listening skills during Guided Reading sessions.

• Talking about the craft of writing (oral rehearsal as a prelude to writing) is used across the school.

Reading

• We teach phonics using the Read Write Inc programme from Foundation through KS1, and in KS2 where necessary. All Year 1 children take the Phonics Screening Test in May. All Year 2 and Year 6 children (with rare exceptions) take the relevant key-stage tests in May. 

• Teachers and support staff read with children on an individual basis and in small groups. Children remain on a formal reading scheme until they are fluent independent readers. They then select texts from curated class shelves. We audit our children's independent reading regularly. 

• Guided reading texts are used within each year group, with content pitched at a higher level than that which the children can read independently, thus delivering content of desirable difficulty and raising aspirations. High quality book talk begin in Reception and continues throughout KS1 within whole class reading sessions. Throughout KS2, the children read whole novels in guided reading, either 'Book Club' style or as a whole class. We have a school canon, which is continually revisited, refreshed and updated. This enables shared discourse between children, and builds their ability to make links between texts as they progress through the school. 

• Children are strongly encouraged to read at home and we provide reading lists on our website. 

• We encourage reading for pleasure and help the children to develop a lifelong love of reading by being enthusiastic about reading as a staff, by discussing books with them and by immersing them in a wide range of powerful and influential texts in lessons. 

• We have a well-stocked library which is managed by Year 6 School Managers and we hold twice yearly Book Fairs. 

• We celebrate not just World Book day, but World Book Week. During this week, every class in the school reads the same text, which the children discuss and respond to in writing, art and action. Our older children visit children in younger year groups and read their own early-childhood favourite texts to them. At the end of the week, to celebrate the words that make up the books we love, we all 'Wear a Word' or 'Don an Idiom'. 

• We invite authors into school to talk about the craft of writing and to inspire the children. 

• We invite theatre companies into school to ensure that the children experience live theatre at least once per year. 

• We hold Reading Assemblies in KS2, where we read texts of historical, social and cultural significance. 

Writing

• The children are taught to write in a variety of styles for a range of purposes and audiences. 

• As they progress through the school, our expectations of the children’s stamina for writing and the quality of their writing increase significantly. 

• We encourage children to develop their vocabulary (helped by reading), their creativity and their technical skill in writing. 

• Spelling is taught, not caught. In EYFS and Year 1 children learn to spell within their RWInc sessions using 'Fred Fingers'. From Year 2 onwards, teaching spelling forms part of the daily timetable. 

• Teachers use a range of teaching approaches, including ‘Exciting Sentences’ and the Jane Considine 'Write Stuff' pedagogy.

• The children develop their word-processing skills as they progress up the school. By the time they are in Year 6, they have a Chromebook for their own personal use. 

Impact:

• Our children perform well in national tests against children in similar schools.

• Our aim is that 100% of our children have passed the Phonics Screening check by the time they leave KS1. This happened for the first time in Summer 2022. Being able to decode fluently means that our children can respond to the ambitious reading curriculum that they will encounter in KS2. 

• Our Year 6 attainment and progress scores in 2022 were both in the highest 20% of all schools. 

• Our children are articulate and well-read. 

• They enjoy writing and write well. 

• They speak confidently and fluently.  

Please see the link below to our 'Bookshelf' page, which contains recommendations of books for your child(ren) to read, as recommended by other children, teachers and experts. 

Phonics

In September 2020 we introduced the Read Write Inc Phonics programme in school. This scheme, led by trained and experienced reading leaders, ensures that every child is successful. It arms the children with the skills to understand our very complex alphabetic code. Children learn to read for accuracy, fluency and comprehension. They also learn how to form their letters and how to spell. Children are assessed every half term and grouped accordingly. We also have Fastrack Interventions every day for those who need it. Please visit our RWI page for further information.