English for Life at Holgate Academy
English Leader - Mrs K Condliff
Intent
At Holgate we have developed a stimulating and challenging English Learning for Life Curriculum that helps our children to become independent learners and prepares them for the next stage of their education, leading them to fulfil their potential both academically and in the wider world. We are committed to the high-quality teaching and learning of English and recognise its fundamental role in enabling children to express themselves and communicate their thoughts, feelings, and ideas effectively, as well as enabling access to the entire curriculum.
Sound English skills are essential for progress across the curriculum and to prepare pupils effectively for tasks of adult life. At Holgate English underpins learning in every subject and we work to ensure there are significant opportunities across the wider curriculum for pupils to embed their literacy skills.
We want our children to have a positive attitude to communication and to be able to express their ideas independently and confidently. Our children are taught the importance of their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in the real world. English at Holgate is not only in the form of a daily discrete lesson but underpins the entire curriculum. It is embedded and developed within all our lessons. Through using high-quality texts, immersing children in vocabulary-rich learning environments and ensuring that curriculum expectations and the progression of skills are met, our children are exposed to a creative and continuous English curriculum which not only enables them to become literate but also develops a love of reading, creative writing and purposeful speaking and listening.
Implementation
These aims are embedded across our English lessons and the wider curriculum.
At Holgate we choose high quality texts that the children enjoy and that develop and extend vocabulary. We use our working walls to model and support the reading to writing process.
Early Years Foundation Stage:
The English Curriculum is delivered using the following documents:
- Early Years Foundation Stage Framework
- The Early learning Goals are followed to ensure continuity and progression from the Foundation Stage through to the National Curriculum.
- Monster Phonics
Key Stage 1:
The English Curriculum is delivered using the following documents:
- National Curriculum
- Monster phonics
- Pathways to Spell
- Letterjoin
- Soundswrite
Key Stage 2:
The English Curriculum is delivered using the following documents:
- National Curriculum
- Pathways to Spell
- Letterjoin
The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:
· read easily, fluently and with good understanding.
· develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.
· acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language.
· appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage.
· write clearly, accurately, and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes, and audiences.
· use discussion to learn; they should be able to elaborate and clearly explain their understanding and ideas.
· are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others, and participating in debate.
Children read daily, write daily, discuss, speak, and listen daily.
Phonics and KS1
Phonics and Early Reading – Pupils in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 participate in group and whole-class reading as part of their daily Monster Phonics lessons. Twice weekly, children with similar reading abilities work in small groups, supported by a teacher or teaching assistant, to develop their decoding and fluency skills. During these sessions, pupils apply reciprocal reading strategies to answer comprehension questions and consolidate their understanding.
For pupils in Key Stage 2 requiring additional phonics support, targeted intervention is provided through the Sounds-Write programme to ensure the development of essential reading skills.
Key Stage 2
Whole Class Reading – Key Stage pupils participate in daily whole-class reading lessons. During the first four sessions, children focus on developing a range of reading skills, with particular emphasis on predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarising. These skills are applied through high-quality, age-appropriate texts. Pupils engage in structured reading discussions, enabling teachers and teaching assistants to question, challenge, and support their understanding. New vocabulary is explicitly explored and clarified within context, and questioning incorporates partner talk, independent reflection, and challenge questions designed to extend comprehension and vocabulary. The fifth session of the week is dedicated to a comprehension activity, consolidating the skills developed in earlier sessions.
At Holgate we choose high quality texts that the children enjoy and that develop and extend vocabulary. We use our working walls to model and support the reading to writing process.
We practise reading and writing across the curriculum: applying reading skills, grammar knowledge, daily composition appropriate to the text type, pencil grip, and handwriting.
Assessment for learning should occur throughout the entire lesson, enabling teachers and teaching assistants to adapt their teaching to meet the children’s needs. This feedback should be incisive and regular and if further support and intervention is needed this can be put in place early.
Children should be active; practising skills they haven’t yet mastered (perhaps recapping on class targets/correcting errors from a previous lesson); learning something new or learning to apply their knowledge to different contexts. They should be: ‘doing’ very quickly; working at a good pace and being productive; sharing their thoughts and methods and being successful.
Impact
Children will be fluent readers with a good understanding of what they’ve read.
Children use phonics skills to help them become confident readers.
Children can retain knowledge of spelling rules and apply them in their writing.
Children draw on reading and life experiences to confidently communicate ideas.
Children learn new words in every lesson and apply them in context in all areas of learning. They are encouraged to extend their range of vocabulary.
Children can structure cohesive pieces of writing and use a variety of sentences that are punctuated correctly, with neat and legible handwriting.
This enables pupils to embark successfully onto their journey into secondary school, the Key Stage 3 curriculum and beyond, equipped for the world with no limits to their success.
