English Curriculum Statement

Intent

At Alpha Preparatory School, we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. Proficiency in these areas allow for pupils to communicate effectively and to express themselves creatively and imaginatively. We have created a curriculum that encourages them to become confident and enthusiastic literary learners.

We believe that children need to develop a secure knowledgebase in English, which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum. This 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

We have a rigorous and well-organised English curriculum which provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion.

When planning English lessons, teachers make links to other areas of the curriculum to ensure that cross curricular links provide further context for learning.  Each term, teaching blocks focus on fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, in line with the National Curriculum and comprehension, grammar and writing are embedded in lessons.

At Alpha, we use the national curriculum for English as a base for our teaching. Therefore, Alpha aims to ensure that all pupils:

• 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 to learn; they should be able to elaborate and clearly explain their understanding and ideas
• are competent in the art of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others, and participating in debate

Impact

The impact of our curriculum on our pupil’s development is clear through the consistently sustained learning and transferrable skills they acquire and how these transfers into progress and attainment data. Our teaching team, the rigorous monitoring system, and the consistent approach to the English curriculum, are successfully reflected in the evaluation process for reading and writing.  Teachers assess termly and the expectation is for pupils to have achieved Age Related Expectations (ARE) for their year groups. Many pupils will have progressed further and achieved Greater Depth (GRD).  Children who have gaps in their knowledge receive appropriate support and intervention. Clear progression of skills and knowledge in English can be seen in pupil’s exercise books, displays around the school, in assemblies, pupil voice and role play areas as well as in the playground.