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. Writing with purpose using the HFL Essential Writing scheme: At Coppermill, we believe that every child is a writer. We are passionate about developing every child’s knowledge, motivation and confidence in their writing. We have chosen HFL Education’s ESSENTIALWRITING as the basis of our writing curriculum for years 2-6. This is an ambitious and progressive writing scheme, which provides our children with opportunities and tools to write for a range of specific purposes and authentic audiences. As a result, our children feel inspired and ready to write high-quality outcomes within the classroom but also have the knowledge, strategies and confidence to choose to write in their own lives.

Please click below to access a range of overview documents which demonstrate how the HFL Essential Writing Scheme ensures skills progression and access to high quality texts.

6. 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. 

7. 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.