English

More than any other subject, English – and especially reading – gives pupils access to the rest of the curriculum and is fundamental to their educational success.

Our aim is for all Danehill pupils to flourish within our strong literacy culture, developing into confident and articulate speakers, as well as enthusiastic and successful readers and writers.

Danehill pupils will: 

• articulate their opinions and respond thoughtfully to the ideas of others, 
• develop the skills needed to be confident and competent readers and writers,  
• read and write for authentic purposes and for pleasure, 
• enjoy an enriched and stimulating English Curriculum.  

 

Spoken Language

Teaching through the Principles of Enlivened Learning fosters a language-rich environment where children:

• gain confidence and opportunities to ask questions,

• listen attentively and thoughtfully to others’ questions,

• articulate their findings using carefully chosen vocabulary,

• collaborate effectively, discussing and developing ideas together,

• express observations, discoveries, and learning experiences,

• share and present their learning in both small and large group settings."

 

We use Dialogic Teaching to create a learning environment that authentically values and promotes children’s talk. Adults model thoughts out loud, ask different types of questions and supporting pupils to discuss misconceptions.

 

Reading

Reading is a strong focus throughout the whole school. We teach children the skills they need to be able to read fluently and develop their curiosity of language by exposing them to a rich variety of texts and vocabulary. Children in EYFS and KS1 are taught systematic phonics, reading decodable books with fidelity to Sounds Write phonics scheme. 

As they become independent readers, children are encouraged to read for pleasure. In Key Stage Two, teaching of reading includes the weekly 'Book Club' with their teacher.  Children are encouraged to make links between what they are reading, their own interests and experiences and potential writing ideas.

 

Writing

Our aim is for all Danehill pupils to become passionate and successful writers, who show competence in both transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing). 

As writers, our children have opportunities to share what they know, think and care about, demonstrating who they are through their writing. They will learn how to plan, revise and evaluate their writing effectively.  They will be able to write down their ideas fluently and legibly, spelling words quickly and accurately by knowing the relationship between sounds and letters in words. 

The class will become a community of writers who work together to develop, articulate and communicate ideas. They will organise their ideas coherently for a reader, for a set audience, purpose and context, using a wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar effectively.   

To achieve this, we follow the Writing for Pleasure approach.

The 14 principles of a Writing for Pleasure pedagogy

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We Are Writers   

+ Writing Progression  

Writing