English

The Subject Intent (Reading)

The READING Curriculum, as Part of the Wider English Curriculum, at Forsbrook CE Primary School

Reading is placed at the heart of, and permeates through, the full curriculum offer. We follow a Mastery approach to English through the programme Pathways to Read. Units of work are delivered using rich and varied texts written by a range of authors from diverse backgrounds in order to build pupil’s cultural capital and widen their world view. Skills are built up through repetition within the units, and children apply these skills in the reading activities provided. In developing the skill of reading, children gain access to and develop a life-long love of reading. Many opportunities for widening children’s vocabulary are given through the Pathways to Read approach and this builds on the extensive work we do in school to provide our children with a rich and varied vocabulary.

Non-fiction is a fundamental aspect of our reading curriculum, allowing pupils to interpret, synthesise and acquire knowledge as part of, and beyond the wider curriculum. The ability to read and interpret the written language is a fundamental skill. Reading impacts on a wide range of issues, including attainment, mental health, economic wellbeing and relationships. When teaching reading and associated reading skills, we aim to raise and sustain pupils’ levels of attainment and achievement in reading throughout the school by developing a number of attitudes and skills.

We also use Pathways to Write to drive our writing curriculum. This aligns with Pathways to Read ensuring meaningful links for our pupils with texts and topics that are used across Literacy, Humanities and Science.

The Subject Intent (Writing)

The WRITING Curriculum, as Part of the Wider English Curriculum, at Forsbrook CE Primary School

At Forsbrook CE Primary School, our aim is to foster competent, confident writers. We follow a Mastery approach to English through the programme Pathways to Write. Units of work are delivered using high quality texts and children in all year groups are given varied opportunities for writing. Skills are built up through repetition within the units, and children apply these skills in the writing activities provided. Many opportunities for widening children’s vocabulary are given through the Pathways to Write approach and this builds on the extensive work we do in school to provide our children with a rich and varied vocabulary.
We recognise that writing is an area that should not be confined to literacy lessons alone, so opportunities are planned for children to write across the curriculum. Children write in the style of a whole range of genres and teachers plan opportunities for children to be able to vary the purpose, audience and form of their writing.
We cater for a range of learning styles through a multitude of resources used to inspire our children’s creative minds: video clips, auditory recordings, trips, visitors, images, drama, talk for writing and high quality texts are some examples of these. Meaningful, real-life purposes for writing are encouraged wherever possible. Children are taught to discuss, plan, draft and edit their writing through teacher modelling and peer support.
We also use Pathways to Read to drive our reading curriculum. This aligns with Pathways to Write, ensuring meaningful links for our pupils with texts and topics that are used across Literacy, Humanities and Science.