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English

At the Ridgeway School, English is taught across all age phases, taking account of pupils’ levels of understanding and how old they are. We try to ensure that English is creative, motivating, engaging and relevant to the pupils. It has clear cross curricular links.

Throughout the Key Stages, English is covered following guidelines from the National Curriculum updated in May 2015 and the EYFS in the Foundation Stage.  The pupils work at relevant and appropriate levels which relate to their personalised targets, and are assessed through Linear Milestones, Thinking Skills and Engagement Steps which are recorded on COMPAS, our online assessment tool.

We realise the importance of engagement and we acknowledge that deeper learning can only occur when pupils are fully engaged and have resources matched to their personal learning styles.

We feel that it is beneficial to use a combination of teaching approaches which accommodate a range of learning styles. The ‘Balanced Literacy Approach’ is now embedded across school and through it there is a strong focus on English being used to promote greater independence, self-esteem and self-reliance. The ‘Handwriting Without Tears’ programme is also embedded across school where appropriate and it provides developmentally appropriate, multisensory strategies for early writing. Both are fun and engaging approaches that raise the enjoyment of English. Pupils have reading packs which their parents are invited to share with them.

English provides opportunities to develop our ‘Thinking Skills’ curriculum and also to promote Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural values.

English sits within the Humanities Faculty and once a year there is a Humanities Curriculum Focus Week with a specific focus and theme.

We invite parents to be involved with their child’s learning in practical ways through extended learning or homework where appropriate.

 

English