English
English has a key place in the education of pupils here at Thomas Jones. It is both an
important subject in its own right and the medium for accessing the whole curriculum.
At Thomas Jones we follow the demands of the National Curriculum, although we
have worked hard to develop our own curriculum model and methods for teaching
this important subject.
Reading
The teaching of reading, both the technical aspects of decoding language and the
opportunity for pupils to develop a love of literature, is one of the most important
aspects of school life here at Thomas Jones. The school’s approach to the teaching of
reading has been documented in the Ofsted report Reading by Six: How the Best
Schools do it and through the launch of the Ofsted Moving English Forward report
and our success with the teaching of reading can be seen through our national test
results.
Through the Foundation Stage and Key Stage One, our pupils follow a rigorous
system of synthetic phonics, based on the Jolly Phonics scheme. Alongside this,
pupils in this phase of the school have access to high quality books, both to study in
legitimate English lessons and to read independently. The school follows the Rigby
Star reading scheme, supplemented with other high quality books banded into the
scheme.
By Key Stage Two, the great majority of pupils are reading independently, borrowing
books from our well-stocked library or classroom collections. Pupils read individually
each day, normally at the start of school and occasionally after lunch. Some pupils are
allowed a completely free choice in what they read, while others are guided towards
books. The allocation of books is based the teacher’s knowledge of a pupil and their
reading needs, not any preconceived ideas about age.
Across the school, guided reading groups are organised by attainment, but remain
flexible enough for pupils to move between groups. It is also common practice for
pupils to work in slightly mismatched groups so they have the opportunity to work
with stronger readers as role models. There will be a different focus for different
groups, with some continuing to read as a group and focus on the mechanics of
reading, whereas some groups will function more as a literature circle with pupils
reading the texts individually at home, leaving a greater time for discussion and
teaching of higher level concepts.
Planning for English learning (always English, never literacy) is based on texts, with
units lasting between one and six weeks. Texts can be one specific text (for example
Year Three studying The Last Polar Bears or Year Six studying Macbeth; a group of
texts (newspapers, for example) or a specific genre (works of historical social realism
or narrative poetry). Across the school, but in Year Six especially, pupils have the
opportunity to study great works of literature, including texts by Dickens,
Shakespeare, Larkin, Hughes and Wilde. At Thomas Jones, we feel learning to
appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage about can play a key role in helping
pupils to develop culturally, emotionally, spiritually and socially, as well as learning
to read easily, fluently and with good understanding.
Teachers read to their classes each day, sharing good quality literature with them.
This helps our pupils to develop their vocabulary as well as introducing them to
unfamiliar ideas and concepts. It also gives pupils the opportunity to tackle longer or
more challenging texts than they would be able to alone. Quite aside from this, it is a
joyful time of day, a chance to share a story as a class and to listen for sheer
enjoyment.
Writing
It is our aim that all pupils who attend Thomas Jones leave us able to write clearly,
accurately and coherently, with the ability to adapt their language and style to a range
of contexts, purposes and audiences. Expectations with regard to handwriting and
presentation are high at Thomas Jones. Our success in this is reflected in our national
test results. Writing is taught through the same text-based units of work as reading.
Below are some of the key objectives for each phase of the school.
Year One and Year Two
In some forms of writing:
Some variation in sentence openings, e.g.
not always starting with name or pronoun
In some forms of writing:
Clause structure mostly grammatically
correct
Mainly simple sentences with and used to
connect clauses
Sentence demarcation with capital
letters and full stops usually accurate
Past and present tense generally consistent
Some accurate use of question and
exclamation marks, and commas in
lists
In some forms of writing:
Mostly relevant ideas and content,
sometimes repetitive or sparse
Some apt word choices create interest
Brief comments, questions about
events or actions suggest viewpoint
In some forms of writing:
Usually correct spelling of:
 high frequency grammatical
function words
 common single-morpheme
content/lexical words
In some forms of writing:
Some basic purpose established, e.g.
main features of story, report
In some forms of writing:
Ideas in sections grouped by content, some
linking by simple pronouns
In some forms of writing:
Simple, often speech-like vocabulary
conveys relevant meanings
Some adventurous word choices, e.g.
opportune use of new vocabulary
In some forms of writing:
Some basic sequencing of ideas or material,
e.g. time-related words or phrases, line
breaks, headings, numbers
Openings and/or closings sometimes
signalled
Some appropriate features of the given
form used
Year Three and Year Four
Across a range of writing
Some variety in length, structure or
subject of
Sentences
Across a range of writing
Sentences demarcated accurately
throughout the text, including question
marks
Use of some subordinating connectives,
e.g. if,
when, because throughout the text
Speech marks to denote speech
generally accurate, with some other
speech punctuation
Some variation, generally accurate, in
tense and verb forms
Commas used in lists and occasionally
to
mark clauses, although not always
accurately
Across a range of writing
Relevant ideas and content chosen
Across a range of writing
Paragraphs/sections help to organise
content, e.g.
main idea usually supported or
elaborated by following sentences
Within paragraphs/sections, limited
range of connections between sentences,
e.g. over-use of ‘also’ or pronouns
Some attempts to establish simple links
between
paragraphs/sections not always
maintained, e.g.
firstly, next
Across a range of writing
Some evidence of deliberate vocabulary
choices
Some ideas and material developed in
detail, e.g.
descriptions elaborated by adverbial
and expanded noun phrases
Straightforward viewpoint generally
established and maintained, e.g.
writing in role or maintaining a
consistent stance
Across a range of writing
Ideas organised by clustering related
points or by time sequence
Across a range of writing
Correct spelling of:
– most common grammatical function
words
– regularly formed content/lexical
words, including those with multiple
morphemes
Across a range of writing
Main purpose of writing is clear but
not always consistently maintained
Ideas are organised simply with a fitting
opening and closing, sometimes linked
Main features of selected form are
clear and appropriate to purpose
Ideas or material generally in logical
sequence but overall direction of writing
not always clearly signalled
Style generally appropriate to task,
though awareness of reader not always
sustained
Some expansion of general vocabulary
to match topic
Year Five and Year Six
Across a range of writing
A variety of sentence lengths, structures
and
subjects provides clarity and emphasis
Across a range of writing
Full range of punctuation used
accurately to demarcate sentences,
including speech punctuation
Wider range of connectives used to
clarify relationship between ideas, e.g.
although, on the other hand, meanwhile
Some features of sentence structure used
to build up detail or convey shades of
meaning, e.g. variation in word order,
expansions in verb phrases
Across a range of writing
Paragraphs clearly structure main ideas
across text to support purpose, e.g. clear
chronological or logical links between
paragraphs
Syntax and punctuation within the
sentence generally accurate including
commas to mark clauses, though
some errors occur where ambitious
structures are attempted
Within paragraphs/sections, a range of
devices support cohesion, e.g. secure use
of pronouns, connectives, references
back to text
Across a range of writing
Relevant ideas and material
developed with some imaginative
detail
Development of ideas and material
appropriately shaped for selected
form, e.g. nominalisation for
succinctness
Across a range of writing
Material is structured clearly, with
sentences organised into appropriate
paragraphs
Clear viewpoint established,
generally consistent, with some
elaboration
Across a range of writing
Correct spelling of:
– grammatical function words
– almost all inflected words
– most derivational suffixes and
prefixes
– most content/lexical words
Across a range of writing
Main purpose of writing is clear and
consistently
maintained
Development of material is effectively
managed across text, e.g. closings refer
back to openings
Features of selected form clearly
established with some adaptation to
purpose
Links between paragraphs/sections
generally maintained across whole text
Across a range of writing
Vocabulary chosen for effect
Reasonably wide vocabulary used,
though not always appropriately
Overall direction of the text supported by Appropriate style clearly established
clear links between paragraphs
to maintain reader’s interest
throughout
Speaking and Listening
At Thomas Jones oracy has a central place in our curriculum, reflecting the vital
importance of spoken language in our pupils’ development. Pupils are supported to
speak in Standard English at all times whilst at school. There are opportunities to talk
right across the curriculum as this is recognised as being a key way in which pupils
develop their learning. Pupils are supported to talk about their ideas, helping to
consolidate their learning. In addition to making formal presentations and
participating in debates, pupils are challenged to elaborate and explain clearly their
understanding and ideas.