English at Hope Community School

At Hope Community School, our English curriculum is designed to incorporate our core values of creativity, adventure, openness and excellence. We aim to develop our pupils' love of reading, writing and discussion and prepare them as learners for life becoming successful, valuable and socially responsible citizens.

We will ensure that all pupils can read easily, fluently and with good understanding and develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. We will enjoy stories daily, giving the children the opportunity to ‘lose themselves in a book’, making it a sociable activity exploring a variety of genres. We want children to develop a love for books, beginning right before they start school with gifts of books. We will offer a range of reading experiences for our pupils, including involving the wider school community, in line with our ethos. 

We want all children to acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language believing that fluency in the English language is an essential foundation for success in all subjects. Through good quality teaching of English, children will be able to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.

The cultural capital obtained through becoming an articulate user of a wide and rich range of vocabulary is one of the key drivers underpinning our wider curriculum. Interwoven through all areas of the curriculum is a determination to support pupils develop confidence and fluency in using a wide range of vocabulary in a wide range of contexts, including vocabulary as ‘multi-contextual’ (tier 2) and subject specific vocabulary such as accurate mathematical and scientific (tier 3). This will expand the vocabulary choices that are available to pupils when they write and enable them to understand the meanings of words they meet in their reading across all subjects and develop an interest and enjoyment in language.

Children will become competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate and using these discussions in order to learn new ideas and to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding.

                                                  Our aim is that all children:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding;
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information;
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language;
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

Please see individual class pages for English long term plans