English
Subject Leaders: Ashley Loasby & Emily Allsopp
English Intent
At Kettering Buccleuch Academy (Primary) we believe that English is a fundamental life skill. English develops children’s ability to listen, speak, read and write for a wide range of purposes. Children are enabled to express themselves creatively and imaginatively as they become enthusiastic and critical readers of stories, poetry and drama, as well as of non-fiction and media texts. Children gain an understanding of how language works by looking at its patterns, structures and origins. Children use their knowledge, skills and understanding in speaking and writing across a range of different situations. Children aim for our children to write as readers and read as writers.
EYFS and KS1 Synthetic Phonics
At Kettering Buccleuch Academy we aim to create a stimulating environment in which children are actively encouraged to enjoy books and are motivated to want to read independently. We strive to ensure that our children become successful, fluent readers by the end of Key Stage One. We believe that this is achievable through high quality, discrete teaching of phonics. Our children should read effectively for different purposes, across all subjects, and acquire the key phonics skills and understand the rules governing the structure of language. The Teaching of Early Reading is taught following the progression of Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised across Early Years and into Key Stage One to support the effective delivery and to cater for the needs of all children.
Phonics for Parents
Reading in KS2
At Kettering Buccleuch Academy, the Reading Journey is underpinned by the ethos of the teacher being the reading expert. This enables children to be immersed by high-quality text, not having a roof put on their learning because of their reading age. The teaching of Reading has been embedded throughout KS2 in a whole class format, children are exposed to higher-level vocabulary, listen to the teacher as the expert and unpicking the text through personalised comprehension questions based around the skills being taught ensure children are supported through the different stages of reading:
The Reading Journey is underpinned by the ethos of the teacher being the reading expert. This enables children to be immersed by high-quality text, not having a roof put on their learning because of their reading age. The teaching of reading is completed over 3 days: Day 1 – Whole class text focus, Day 2 – Whole class text focus and Day 3 – cold read to apply and embed the skills of that week.
Whole School
At Kettering Buccleuch Academy, we understand the importance of sharing stories from which relate to our wider community. We undertint the importance of our children recognising themselves in books being shared with the class. During our daily story time, children are read to by an adult in their class, we aim to promote a wide range of books (short, picture, poetry and non-fiction) , which allows are children to experience the breadth and depth of the world around them, whilst promoting a love for reading ethos.
Year 1
At Kettering Buccleuch Academy (Primary), we pride ourselves on not only having access to a wide range of high-quality fiction and non-fiction texts but also having some fantastic areas for children to enjoy reading alone or with their peers, both in class and out. These are linked with the phonics sounds that the individual child has been taught that week, this will allow them to practise the skills learnt. This is fundamental in the moving to fluent readers at an early age.
Year 2
In Year 2, our children being to make the transitional phase over to our Accelerated Reading scheme. During the autumn term, children are assessed completing a Star Reader quiz. However, if a child did not pass their Year 1 phonics test, they will continue to embed the phonics sound they are being taught that week, alongside and accelerated reader book to share with an adult.
KS2
Throughout KS2, the individual reading scheme used is ‘Accelerated Reader’. Children are assessed half termly using the ‘Star Reader’ assessment; this then generates an age range the children can read between.
Writing
Writing has a leading place in education and 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. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society. The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong expertise of the spoken and written word.
Our Writing Journey
Contribution of English is other Curriculum Areas
The skills that children develop in English are linked to, and applied in every subject of our curriculum. The children’s skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening enable them to communicate and express themselves in all areas of their work at school.