English

At Chipping Warden Primary Academy, English is an important part of our curriculum which develops the skills of oracy, reading and writing. Children are gaining the skills to read and write, but just as important, they are taught the skills of speaking and listening, including responding to others.

Oracy

Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language. In school, oracy is a vital tool for learning; by teaching pupils to become more effective speakers and listeners we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them. 

At Chipping Warden Primary Academy, we believe spoken language to be essential in the development and achievement of our children across the curriculum right from the Early Years Foundation Stage. We strive to develop spoken language skills through the taught curriculum, the hidden curriculum, playtimes and lunchtimes, extra-curricular activities and the whole ethos of the school. Children are taught how to be effective communicators through skills such as storytelling, debating and presenting. 

Respectful relationships between all who form part of the school community are to our ethos. We place a high priority on supporting the development of good speaking and listening skills amongst our pupils. Correct spoken language and development of vocabulary is fundamental to learning. Speaking and listening play a large part in a child’s progress in all curriculum areas and teachers plan to develop these skills in a wide variety of ways. We aim to develop and encourage fluent speakers, with rich vocabulary, who are confident to operate in a wide range of situations.  

Reading

At Chipping Warden Primary Academy, our aim is to foster a lifelong love of reading in our pupils by ensuring they have access to a high-quality English curriculum which is centred around books. A love of reading will be fostered through access to a range of high quality texts across the curriculum. This will help children develop their use of standard English and gain a wide vocabulary which they can use in both spoken and written work. 

Initially, our systematic approach to phonics will teach our children to read. As they progress through the RWI phonics programme they will become confident and fluent readers of both  fiction and non-fiction texts.

Additionally, we want children to develop their love of reading at home and so we support families in helping their child to read, through initiatives such as Book and Biscuit. We hope children will develop knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live, deepen their curriculum knowledge and further their comprehension skills through their reading of books.

Writing

Writing is an essential part of our curriculum and is very important at Chipping Warden Primary Academy.  We want children to develop a love of writing and have pride in their written accomplishments. Our aim is that they will be able to express their ideas and creativity through a range of genres. They will be able to plan, revise and evaluate their work effectively. In order for them to develop as fluent writers, children will spend their formative years becoming confident with phonics, word, spelling and sentence structure and handwriting. As they progress through the school, they will embed basic skills in order to widen their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. This will enable them to develop their writing so they are able to articulate, communicate and organise their ideas for audience and purpose.