Curriculum Intent
Our English curriculum develops children’s spoken language, reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary. The skills of English are taught in discreet English lessons which are then applied and practised in a cross curricular approach, linking up and making connections across subjects.
Speaking and listening
Our children are taught in a language rich environment, where they are encouraged to speak clearly and with confidence, conveying their views and ideas fluently using an ever growing vocabulary. An emphasis on the teaching of vocabulary and developing oracy skills places speaking and listening at the heart of our whole school curriculum. Time to talk is embedded as an integral part of every lesson, every day.
Phonics at Thames
All staff at Thames have been trained to deliver systematic phonic instruction using the DfE approved Read, Write Inc programme.
Every day, children learn new sounds, and review previous sounds and words. They apply what they’ve been taught by reading words containing the sounds they know in matched decodable books and other texts, and write these sounds in individual words and, later, sentences. Children from Nursery through to Year 2 are taught Phonics in small, differentiated groups on a daily basis. The groups take account of the ‘age and stage’ of the child’s phonics development and their learning styles. These groups are reassessed half termly to maximise the progress of every child. Teachers also ensure they embed learning from discrete phonics sessions within their English lessons and across the wider curriculum. Children in KS2 who still require phonics support are taught in small groups or in 1-1 sessions as appropriate.
Reading
The teaching of reading is systematic and sequential across school. We recognise the importance of ‘being able to read and comprehend’ as being central to accessing all other areas of the curriculum and the world around them. We read with and to children through a wide range of independent, shared, guided and class reading activities in order to develop children who ‘are readers’ rather than ‘read’. Children have access to a wealth of carefully selected books of all genres through their individual class libraries, outdoor library areas and shared key stage library.
Writing
We develop writing skills, including grammar, punctuation and spelling knowledge, so that our children have the skills, knowledge, stamina and motivation to write, in a range of genres and for different purposes, at an age appropriate standard. Effective composition involves forming, articulating and communicating ideas, and then organising them coherently for a reader. At Thames we understand that real writers read. In order for our children to become authors, we encourage them to think like authors at every opportunity within the English curriculum; this happens through well-thought out questioning, meaningful class discussions and purposeful analysis of texts across a wide range of genres. Through our English Curriculum children are exposed to texts that are at their reading level but also a range of aspirational texts.
Our curriculum is based around a non fiction into fiction approach. Every half term a non -fiction is the focus of the first unit, this enables the children to gather knowledge and vocabulary that they can then apply in the following fiction unit. Within our sequence of lessons we expose the children to a variety of writing models to allow the children to understand the process of writing.
We teach vocabulary explicitly during English lessons, providing easy-to-understand definitions, examples and non-examples of the target word, opportunities for discussion; staff will then check for understanding. Children are then given the opportunity to practise using new vocabulary within the English lesson and across the curriculum.
Handwriting, spelling and grammar and punctuation lessons are taught discreetly, planned and linked carefully to the specific unit of writing and then applied through independent writing, both in English lessons and across the curriculum.
Children are taught in mixed ability classes and intervention programmes such as Fresh Start, Toe by Toe and Rapid Writing are used for those children who need additional support. The focus is on early intervention so that an additional need can be identified and supported.
English is celebrated and promoted across the school with events and extracurricular activities such as World Book Day, reading challenges, poetry and choral speaking competitions, 500 word story challenge, visiting authors and poets.
