English

At Whitchurch Combined School, we recognise that English is a core subject within the National Curriculum and that the focus of all our teaching is to develop pupils’ abilities to use language to think, explore, organise and communicate significant meanings to enable every pupil to achieve their potential and develop self-esteem. We also recognise the importance language plays in social, emotional and imaginative development of pupils as they use language to make meaning of the complexity of human experience, and to communicate with the world at large.

Aims

Pupils are given opportunities to inter-relate the requirements of English within a broad and balanced approach to the teaching of English across the curriculum.  They are given opportunities to consolidate and practise taught literacy skills.

We aim to:

• Enable pupils to be taught in all subjects to express themselves correctly and appropriately
• Enable pupils to read accurately and with understanding
• Encourage pupils to appreciate literature
• Enable pupils to recognise the close relationship between reading and writing
•  Provide pupils with learning opportunities which develop and integrate speaking and listening skills, reading skills and writing skills
• Provide real contexts for language learning in English and across the curriculum
• Encourage pupils to have an interest in words and their meaning, and a growing vocabulary. This interest extends to the technical and specialist vocabulary of all subjects.
• Develop the thinking skills of pupils on the path to becoming reflective, independent learners
• Provide opportunities for pupils to use ICT to facilitate and extend their learning in speaking, listening, reading and writing
• Recognise the importance of having a consistent view of language learning across the wider curriculum
• Enable pupils to apply and experiment with language across the wider curriculum
• Enable pupils to become confident spellers

GPS (Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling)

Please find links below for guidance about GPS for each year group.  Please do take a look at the spelling activities guidance as well, as it provides a whole bank of interactive and fun ways to learn spellings.