English
At Park Lane Primary School we believe the acquisition of good literacy skills is of utmost importance to all pupils. We believe that a sound understanding and knowledge of English, not only enables a child to develop as an individual, but also to access the curriculum as a whole.
We encourage and value the involvement of parents and the wider community in our children’s English learning. We communicate regularly with parents and carers and encourage you to support your child’s learning in various ways. We encourage learning beyond the classroom by sending home activities such as reading, spelling and handwriting to enable you to support your child’s learning.
The school benefits from a rich programme of book-related events over the academic year.
Speaking and listening
We believe that all children should be given the opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills in all areas of the curriculum. All children are encouraged to take an active role in their learning and contribute their own thoughts and ideas.
We encourage them to develop a love of language through various activities such as word games, spelling games, poetry and rhymes, good quality literature, songs, drama, role play and dictionary work.
Reading
At Park Lane Primary School we love reading and we want all of our pupils to love it too. Children begin by learning to read and then read to learn. We give children opportunities to develop the full range of reading skills and become mature and enthusiastic readers.
There is a detailed and structured reading scheme in place based on Badger Guided reading scheme and a variety of other materials. We use a whole word/look and say approach with a list of key words. Alongside this children in Key Stage One follow the Letters and Sounds programme of study and take part in structured phonics lessons to develop their decoding skills. We have a system of Reading Volunteers in place which brings additional adults in to school to support Reading at all ages and stages.
Central to all our teaching of reading is the importance of reading for meaning with an emphasis on comprehension. Children are encouraged to develop higher order reading skills, such as inference and deduction through discussion with adults and with each other.
Writing
Children are given opportunities to write for a wide range of purposes, not only within specific English lessons, but across the curriculum. Children develop their understanding of a range of text types and how to write in a variety of forms.
Once a week each class completes a Big Writing exercise - an extended piece of writing. This work to stored separately in an individual folder and stays with the child throughout the key stage. Children enjoy the routine of working in a quiet, calm classroom with some gentle music and a timer to help them know how long they have to write. Talk homework is given to the children the day before Big Writing. This is an opportunity for children to switch off the TV and talk about what they will be working on the next day.
Enrichment through English
We provide access to a range of enrichment activities for all year groups including:
- Theatre trips
- Guest poets, authors and comedians leading creative workshops
- School productions
- Themed Weeks
- Book Fairs
- World Book Day
- World Poetry Day