English at Iver Heath Infant School and Nursery

Introduction

We believe that literacy is at the very centre of all children’s learning. It has an essential role across the curriculum and helps learning to be coherent and progressive. Speaking, listening, reading and writing are crucial life skills and are integral to the enjoyment and understanding of all that we do at school. We endeavour to give the children a sound basis in English so that they can become confident and literate members of society.

Please find a summary of our English policy below. For the full policy please click here.

Intent

To enable children:

to fulfil and extend their potential through a challenging and inspirational curriculum;
to speak clearly and confidently and listen carefully to what others have to say;
to express themselves articulately, creatively and imaginatively;
to read a diverse range of fiction and non-fiction texts fluently, independently and critically;
to develop a love of reading and to discover different authors, cultures and genres;
to write with interest and enjoyment;
to write fluently and independently for a range of purposes and audiences;
to spell and punctuate correctly according to age related expectations;
to develop neat, joined up handwriting;
to use language skills across the curriculum.

Inclusion and Diversity

In whole class teaching differentiation for all pupils occurs through: - discussion; - well-focused and challenging questioning; - praise of individual contributions; - high expectations encouraging pupils to elaborate, suggest, make observations, reflect and speculate; - thinking time.
In individual, paired or group work differentiation will take place by resources, variety of tasks, response and support.
More able children in English are identified by the class teacher and their learning is enhanced.
Children with special educational needs (SEN) and English as an additional language (EAL) are supported using a variety of support materials suggested by class teachers, SENDCO, The Specialist Teaching Service and other outside agencies. For children with physical disabilities, we endeavour to secure appropriate apparatus in order for them to access the curriculum and we consult with relevant outside agencies.
All Reception children are assessed on “Language Link” and interventions are put into place depending on outcome. In Key Stage 1 these individuals who have had interventions are re-assessed and interventions will continue if needed.
We also use “Language Link” and “Speech Link” as a diagnostic tool.
We ensure that all English work shows positive images of the gender groups in society. We celebrate the contribution that other ethnic groups and cultures have made to English. We use a variety of texts to support this.

Equal Opportunities

We aim to provide equity of opportunity throughout our English curriculum to ensure that all pupils irrespective of ethnicity, attainment, age, disability, gender, religion, belief / non-belief, socio-economic status or background are able to develop their English skills to their full potential. We incorporate English into a wide range of cross-curricular subjects and look to support any groups identified as needing additional support.

Health and Safety

All staff ensure that Health and Safety regulations are adhered to when using equipment such as interactive whiteboards and CD players etc.