English (Literacy in key stage 1) is an essential part of education; we recognise that if children have a great understanding of the English language they can embrace the whole school curriculum and excel in life.
At Chepstow House School we create a word-enriched environment, which gives children plenty of opportunities to learn new words. We consider, amongst other elements: meaning, pronunciation, phonological representation, spelling, grammar, sentence structure. This is the foundation of our English teaching, all staff in every subject develop children’s vocabulary.
Our aim is for all children to be enthralled in the English language and develop a passion for literature. Our English lessons are designed to develop crucial skills in speaking, listening, reading (including comprehension) and writing. Proficiency in these areas allow pupils to communicate effectively and to express themselves creatively and imaginatively.
The English scope and sequence and reading lists for year groups can be found here.
Throughout the year children have many opportunities to develop these essential skills. Including in assemblies, debates within year groups and key stages and presentation to parents.
We use Jolly Phonics to teach literacy through synthetic phonics. More information on Jolly Phonics can be found here.
Children are heard daily in guided reading. To allow for a variety of genres to be read we do not follow a set reading scheme. In guided reading, a group of children read the same book every day in school and for homework. This allows in-depth analysis of the text to take place. All children are encouraged to read their own independent reading book, which they can bring in from home or they borrow from the library on our weekly visits. More information on teaching children to read can be found here.
We have developed a spelling programme specific to Chepstow House. The spelling units follow phonic and spelling rules, children should practice their spellings daily. Children learn to spell the words correctly and explore the meaning of the word and how it is formed.
The children continue to develop their handwriting, using the Kingston Cursive writing script (TRTS). When children demonstrate this script correctly and throughout their work, they move on to writing with a fountain pen.
We use Word Aware to expose children to a significant range of words during their time at Chepstow House. Our Word Aware, Phonics & Spelling Coordinator ensures new vocabulary is used every day and in all subjects, not just within English lessons.
