English

In this section, you will find information about the English National Curriculum and lots of news about what we are doing at St. Catherine’s in this area.

Purpose of Study

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society.  A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to write and speak fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to other and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them.  Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually.  Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development.  Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know.  At St. Catherine’s we believe that all the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils, therefore, who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.

Aims

The overarching aim for English in the National Curriculum is to promote high standards of literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.  The National Curriculum for English aims to ensure all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate

Reading

At St. Catherine’s Catholic Primary School, we strive to ensure that all children become successful, fluent readers by the end of Key Stage One and believe this is achievable through a combination of strong, high quality, discrete systematic phonics teaching combined with a ‘Reading for Pleasure’ culture. Being able to read is the most important skill children will learn during their early schooling and has far-reaching implications for lifelong learning and well-being.

We aim to teach children to read and develop a love of books as soon as they arrive at St Catherine’s School, and books are used to teach topics and to enhance our whole curriculum. Children engage with daily story time, songs, poem and rhyme sessions. All classrooms have their own book areas, and there are reading areas available outside. Books in the classroom provision are changed each half-term to reflect the different seasons, topics taught and children’s interests. Teachers read stories to children from high quality age-appropriate texts at every available opportunity. These books are then used to enhance the learning environment and reading area. There is lots of  information about Phonics and Early Reading available here.

Writing

In order to ensure that all pupils learn to be confident writers we encourage children to write creatively whilst teaching key writing skills explicitly and systematically. As children are immersed in a subject for a term, they study quality books about this topic and learn from related trips and visitors which allow them to develop the knowledge to write with confidence and authority. In class, teachers plan structured shared reading and write model pieces so children understand the characteristics of different genres. Additionally, for each piece, children are taught a suitable grammar concept which helps them to write accurately and learn the correct terminology to discuss writing with precision.

Are you looking for your next read? Have a look at our Virtual Bookshelf below

https://padlet.com/umcauley/st-catherine-s-virtual-bookshelf-9610xeop4a9udm8a

We also recommend that you have a look at this years Great Books Guide from BookTrust