English

Our English Lead is Miss Moran

Reading and writing feeds pupil’s imagination and opens up a treasure house of wonder and joy for curious young minds.

Building the Kingdom Statement

Through the study of English, we enable our pupils to discover the multi-faceted beauty of communication, understanding, and exploration of relationships with themselves, each other, and the mysterious nature of God’s world; to recognise that language plays a fundamental role in the growth of our identity and self-image, leading to human flourishing which transcends limitations and barriers. Exposure to a rich variety of literature and the development of high-level literacy skills gives them the tools to participate as a global citizen.

Our English curriculum encourages children to enhance their understanding of living a Catholic life by developing all of the virtues. We do this through our choice of class novels ensuring that they contain relevant issues which can be discussed within the Catholic framework. Through varied and different activities, such as class debate and newspaper reports, children are encouraged to empathise with difficult decisions using their Catholic understanding.

At St Patricks, our high quality English Curriculum aims to provide children with opportunities to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas to others. Through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. All skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society and we place high importance on speaking and listening throughout our curriculum.

Our broad and purposeful English curriculum motivates children. Theydevelop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. We choose texts that can act as a mirror into their own lives as well as texts to broaden and challenge their minds. In this way, it is possible to engage children in reading for pleasure in the longer term, write with purpose and enjoyment, and communicate more effectively.

English has 5 Big ideas

1. Handwriting – forming letters correctly and automatically leading to legible, fluent and joined handwriting with and individual style at a good speed. 

2. Spelling and Grammar-. Write grammatically correctly. Spell quickly and accurately through knowing the relationship between sounds and letters (phonics) and understanding the word structure (morphology) /spelling structure (orthography) of words. Learn and spell key vocabulary/technical words (tier 3) across the curriculum. 

3. Vocabulary - Understand relationships between words and meanings and use high level, ambitious and appropriate vocabularywhen writing. Know an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary. 

4. Reading – Reading competently and fluently across subjects. Read for pleasure widely between fiction and non-fiction texts. Make links across texts/authors. Use what they have read to inform and build on writing skills.

5. Composition of writing – forming, articulating and communicating ideas and then organising them coherently for a reader.