English

Intent

It is our intent at Bilbrook CE Middle to provide pupils with a high-quality education in English that will teach pupils to speak, read and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others effectively.
At Bilbrook CE Middle Writing is a crucial part of our curriculum. All children from Year 5 to Year 8 are provided with many opportunities to develop and apply their reading skills across the curriculum.
Our key stage 3 curriculum consolidates and develops the skills acquired at key stage 2 as well as introduces students to GCSE skills at an early stage through the study of an engaging and challenging range of modern and Literary Heritage texts including poetry, Shakespeare, modern drama, fiction and non-fiction.
With regards to Writing, we intend for pupils to be able to plan, revise and evaluate their writing. To be able to do this effectively, pupils will focus on developing effective transcription and effective composition. They will also develop an awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where children take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts.
With regards to Spelling, teachers will show pupils how to understand the relationships between words, how to understand nuances in meaning, and how to develop their understanding of, and ability to use, figurative language. They will also teach pupils how to work out and clarify the meanings of unknown words and words with more than one meaning. Pupils will be taught to control their speaking and writing consciously and to use Standard English.
We believe that a secure basis in literacy skills is crucial to a high-quality education and will give our children the tools they need to participate fully as a member of society.

Implementation

Our English curriculum is derived around: developing grammar and punctuation knowledge; understanding how to use and apply across the wider curriculum; exploring writing structure and features of different genres; identifying the purpose and audience; planning and writing an initial piece of writing with a clear context and purpose before evaluating the effectiveness of writing by editing and redrafting.
At Bilbrook CE Middle, we believe that writing is strengthened by instilling a love for reading within our pupils. We value the importance of reading to supplement writing, providing a purpose and a context to writing. We believe that pupils who are provided a reason for writing demonstrate flair and effective writing composition, leading to high quality outcomes. Children are supported in how to apply grammatical content taught by identifying features of a high-quality modelled text, before progressing to plan, write and re-draft a written piece which is fit for purpose and audience.
Handwriting sessions are taught in KS2 and children also have plenty of opportunity to develop hand control and form their letters correctly. By the end of their final year, all children are expected to write a reasonable amount using clear, joined correctly formed handwriting. Cursive handwriting is modelled by staff across school.
Spelling sessions are taught on a weekly basis. Children are introduced to a new spelling rule and practice spelling words that follow that rule. They are encouraged to find other words that fit that rule in their own time. Children are tested on spellings taught on a two weekly basis. At the end of a term, children will be tested on spellings taught so far to ensure that the learning is embedded or address any further misconceptions. Grammar and punctuation are revisited regularly through retrieval tasks at the start of each English lesson. We also teach grammar and punctuation explicitly as part of English lessons. Children are given a wide range of opportunities to embed these skills across the curriculum.

Impact

The impact is that children leave Bilbrook CE Middle as confident writers with the knowledge and skills required for the next stage of their education, and indeed, life.

English KS2 Learning Journey
English KS3 Learning Journey

The overview for the year can be found here: English Overview