English

Intent

At St. James Primary School, we are dedicated to nurturing lifelong learners who embody our core values of Joy, Kindness, Respect, Perseverance, and Wisdom, rooted in our Christian faith. Our intent is to provide a rich and varied curriculum that nurtures a love for English, helping children develop essential skills while embracing our values. Our English curriculum is designed to provide a strong foundation for learning and personal growth.

We aim to foster joy in learning by creating engaging English experiences that inspire curiosity and enthusiasm in children. Our curriculum promotes kindness by encouraging students to express themselves through words and stories, fostering empathy and understanding. At St James, we respect each child's unique abilities and backgrounds, ensuring that our curriculum supports every learner in their English language journey. Through our curriculum, we instil perseverance by celebrating effort and encouraging students to see challenges as opportunities for growth in their language and communication skills. We view wisdom as encompassing not only academic knowledge but also critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication, skills that are vital for life. 

Our English curriculum is designed to be ambitious and aspirational, meeting the needs of all our pupils while building strong foundations for their future education. It is planned sequentially, allowing children to build on their prior learning, ensuring a sense of continuity and progression.

We believe in exciting, inspiring, and empowering our students through experiences that reflect our values. 

Implementation

At St James, we are committed to delivering a robust English curriculum that engages, inspires and supports are children to achieve their best possible outcomes. We use the CLPE scheme in English lessons from Reception to year 6 to spport this.

We teach writing through the 'Power of Reading,' which enhances inference, deduction, and comprehension skills while fostering creativity through writing in different genres. We utilize highquality texts from Reception to Year 6, building on the foundations of excellent phonics instruction through Read Write Inc. The children develop a love of literacy through engaging, vocabulary rich texts that spark the imagination. In Reception and Key Stage 1, we use RML Phonics to teach reading, ensuring children develop strong foundational skills in English.

Our teachers possess strong subject knowledge and continually enhance it through training and observation of best practices. Lessons incorporate examples, retrieval practice, and revisit essential skills over time, creating a deep and lasting understanding of English concepts.

Our curriculum map ensures sequential teaching, allowing teachers to deliver knowledge and skills logically and progressively. We prioritise the teaching of key vocabulary in all subjects, recognising its critical role in language development.

Impact

At St James, we conduct end-of-year assessments and Government tests to measure children's knowledge and skills development. Our teachers assess children’s progress through on the spot observations and adjust lessons to help children achieve the best possible outcomes. The children are encouraged to assess their own work, and the work of others in the class, through peer and selfassessment. We continuously assess teaching and learning through the feedback of our pupils, ensuring their experiences are positive and engaging.

Our pupils leave St. James Primary School well-prepared for a successful transition to secondary school, carrying with them the confidence, skills, and values they've developed in our supportive and inclusive community.

Through respect, kindness, joy, wisdom, and perseverance, we empower our students to become lifelong learners who positively impact our world and carry with them a love of English.