What is English?

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others 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. 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.

English at Phillimore

The teaching of English at Phillimore Community Primary is based on the statutory framework for the early year’s foundation stage and on the National Curriculum for England’s Programmes of Study for Year 1 to Year 6. Our key motivation for English teaching is to enable learners to use language powerfully and effectively in personal, communal and professional contexts. Staff at Phillimore encourage learners to explore diverse identities and cultures, think critically about their place in the world, build relationships and live positively and dynamically with those around them. We have adapted a Global Citizenship approach to English, which will develops learners’ empathy, respect for diversity and imagination to recognise their place in local, national and global communities. It also expands learners’ thinking and horizons and develops critical literacy, leading to higher levels of attainment.

The emphasis of Global Citizenship on real-life learning in both local and global settings is a great way to inspire learners and demonstrate the purpose of English. Global Citizenship provides practical opportunities for learners to develop self-expression and the communication skills to interact with others in their own communities and more widely. For example, instead of writing persuasive letters for fictional audiences, learners can write real letters to their local MP in England, MSP in Scotland or AM in Wales about issues important to them. Instead of writing imaginary speeches, learners can write and perform speeches sharing their response to local-global issues with others in their school or wider community.

We follow the Teaching Sequence of writing approach created by Teresa Heathcote and adapted and shaped by Phillimore’s Literacy team to meet the needs of our children. The sequence has the following structure:

Immerse

Analyse

SPAG

Plan

Write

Review

To understand about the sequence in more detail please follow the link below.

National curriculum and Essentials curriculum links

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-english-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-english-programmes-of-study

https://www.chrisquigley.co.uk/resources/books/essentials-full-spectrum-curriculum/