ENGLISH

Intent

At Coppermill, we will enable our pupils to develop a love of reading and the ability to express themselves creatively and confidently through written and spoken word. We believe that the expert teaching of literacy skills - reading, writing, speaking and, listening - is essential for developing responsible, self-motivated and highly capable learners. 

Beginning with a strong focus on early reading and writing, through high quality teaching of synthetic phonics, the children will be taught systematically how to decode, comprehend, discuss, interpret and apply knowledge of a range of text types with progressive fluency. Exposing all children to a diverse range of rich texts, they will be able to:

• communicate their ideas clearly, coherently and confidently;

• develop their comprehension skills, which include prediction, retrieval, clarifying, summarising and inference techniques as they progress through school;

• understand the importance of grammar and linguistic conventions in how to create meaning and; 

• write for purpose and adapt their writing style for different audiences.

We support students' curiosity and critical thinking skills by not only delivering an ambitious, engaging and challenging curriculum but also by providing purposeful learning opportunities. We aim to create a nurturing learning environment where literacy is valued, celebrated, and integrated across the curriculum, enabling pupils to develop language proficiency, critical thinking, and a lifelong love for reading and writing.

Implementation

1. Comprehensive and Balanced Curriculum: Our curriculum is carefully designed to cover all aspects of literacy, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening, as outlined in the National Curriculum. Literacy is not confined to English lessons; it is a tool for learning across all subjects. We integrate reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities into our topic-based curriculum to enrich pupils' understanding. Our teachers create topic-based units that incorporate literacy skills. For example, during a history topic about Ancient Egypt, pupils will read and write about pharaohs, mummies, and pyramids. Therefore, we provide a rich variety of genres, texts, and writing opportunities, catering to the diverse interests and needs of our pupils.

2. Effective Phonics Instruction: Phonics forms a fundamental part of our literacy provision. We follow the RWI scheme, employing effective teaching strategies such as daily phonics sessions, multi-sensory activities, and regular assessment to ensure pupils acquire essential phonemic awareness and decoding skills.

3. Whole class reading: Children are taught reading comprehension skills to enable them to successfully engage with text. These include: prediction, retrieval, clarifying, summarising and inference. This empowers our pupils with the ability to think critically, analyse information, and communicate effectively. 

4. Reading for pleasure: We also recognise the importance of children developing a love for reading and we encourage this through a dedicated reading culture within the school. Our well-stocked library, engaging reading spaces, and opportunities for regular and independent reading enable this. We actively promote storyteller visits, book fairs, and reading challenges to inspire pupils to develop a lifelong passion for books.

5. Writing with purpose: We ensure all opportunities to write are purposeful and are geared towards reaching an audience. Pupils learn how to adapt their writing style and content to suit different audiences. Through whole school writing projects, pupils are inspired by a range of stimuli including the work of Shakespeare, Dickens and other contemporary authors. Written outcomes are then published and celebrated which enhances children’s confidence. Furthermore, we integrate technology tools that enable students to publish their writing digitally. This can include creating blogs, e-books, or multimedia presentations. When pupils see their work published online, they feel a greater sense of purpose and audience reach.

6. Modelled and shared writing: Teachers share their writing process, demonstrating effective writing strategies and techniques to develop pupils' composition skills. Pupils are provided with regular opportunities for collaborative writing and peer feedback, fostering a supportive writing community within the classroom. 

7. Speaking and listening: Pupils are regularly given the opportunity to present research and findings orally, developing their speaking and listening skills. They also learn how to adapt their presentations to effectively communicate with specific audiences. We also build in opportunities across the curriculum for them to debate and discuss important ideas, present balanced arguments and respond positively and critically to each other’s opinions. 

8. Inclusive and Differentiated Approaches: We recognise the diverse learning needs of our pupils, we adopt inclusive and differentiated approaches to cater to every child's progress. We provide additional support and intervention programmes for pupils who need extra assistance, ensuring that all children will make progress. 

Impact

The impact of our literacy provision has a significant impact on the overall development and achievement of our pupils. Through ongoing summative, formative and peer assessment, teachers are able to monitor pupils' progress and provide timely feedback, setting targets that challenge and support each child appropriately. As a result, our pupils achieve consistently high standards in reading, writing, and spelling, demonstrating a secure understanding. Through quality teaching, pupils make excellent progress from their starting points, with any attainment gaps effectively narrowed. Furthermore, our pupils are confident and creative communicators; they articulate their ideas clearly, use appropriate vocabulary, and actively listen to others, fostering effective skills for future success.