English

English Lead:  Mrs M. Catchpole

‘You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page.  Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.’
Annie Proulx

At Our Lady Immaculate we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. We help our children develop a secure knowledge-base which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary school. We believe that teaching children to read and write as early as possible is fundamental as this is the key to learning and will also have a huge impact on their self- esteem and future life chances.

 We value the importance of building a nurturing culture where children have a positive attitude towards communication, and are proud to express their independent ideas. We encourage an appreciation of our rich and varied literary heritage and a habit of reading widely for enjoyment.

 Through our English Curriculum, we strive to teach the children how important their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills will be in the real world. By giving this context to their learning, the children understand the value of English to them now, and in their futures.

 

English Curriculum

At Our Lady Immaculate 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, including cross curricular links. 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.   This enables them to read, write and discuss with passion and confidence.

As a result, we have a community of enthusiastic readers and writers who enjoy showcasing their developing literacy knowledge and skills. They are confident to take risks in their reading and writing, and love to discuss and share their ideas. Our attainment at the end of EYFS, KS1 and KS2 is above the national average.

Public Speaking at Our Lady Immaculate

Workshops in public speaking are carried out with years 2 to 6.

To stand like a Mighty Oak has improved the communication skills of our children tremendously. This carefully orchestrated Public Speaking Programme, encourages children to overcome fear, gain skills and inspire others to stand tall and speak out. Children are taken on a journey to prepare them to perform to a live audience. The programme is deliberately and carefully structured with purpose: to inform, to convince and to entertain. The children are taught to consider the way they stand, move, use their voice and maintain eye-contact to draw their audience in.

The Mighty Oak Public Speaking Scheme of Work has had a significant impact on our children’s achievement and confidence beyond the lessons. They have transferred their skills to enhance their performance across the curriculum, particularly when they are presenting, persuading or performing.