English at New Horizons Seaside Primary School

English is so vital to learning that its importance cannot be overstated — it is the essential foundation of education. Our aim at Seaside is to equip our children with the necessary skills in English that they need to realise their dreams and fulfil their potential.

Intent

Reading is at the heart of everything that we do at Seaside Primary School: every staff member understands the importance of and is committed to promoting a love of reading from the day children join our school, and through this love we believe children can expand their world and their experiences. Committed and confident readers have the necessary tools to become engaging and passionate writers. Their love of reading will expose them to an ever-increasing and engaging vocabulary bank as well as helping them to put themselves in the shoes of the reader in order to write more effectively, creatively and independently across a range of subject areas.

Implementation

Successful teaching and learning of English is evident across all subjects: from discussions in Science lessons to effective verbal communication in PE and culminating in a child’s ability to use their reading and comprehension skills to access all other learning. Teachers will model and apply the same standards of literacy to all lessons and spelling tuition will be evident in daily marking of all subjects through the use of spelling spots. Quality texts are used across the curriculum to support a child’s enthusiasm for the facts to support our knowledge-led curriculum. Key vocabulary is displayed in class throughout the year to aid children’s acquisition and recall of knowledge. All foundation lessons will build on a child’s ability to independently research both with digital and printed matter and regular pupil conferencing and peer assessment will give children the opportunity to develop effective spoken English.

Impact

The impact of our English teaching and learning is assessed through a range of different strategies.

• Daily marking of all subjects
• Regular book scrutinies in all subjects
• Lesson observations
• Pupil conferencing
• Termly formal assessments
• EYFS - assessment against the Early Learning Goals from their learning journals
• Learning walks

Our English curriculum aims to stimulate our children's imaginations and expand their understanding of the world, giving them a strong sense of well-being and citizenship. We recognise that children who have developed their reading and writing skills perform better in school and have a healthier self-image. Our aim is for all our children to become lifelong learners and sought-after employees.