English

Speaking and Listening

'Reading and writing float on a sea of talk' - James Britton

At Beckington and Mells we believe that speaking and listening skills serve as the foundations for success in becoming confident, literate individuals. They are paramount in promoting effective communication, fostering social interactions, and nurturing critical thinking skills. By engaging in meaningful conversations, our students refine their oral expression, learn to listen attentively, and develop the ability to articulate their thoughts and ideas eloquently.

We endeavour to provide a vocabulary-rich curriculum that enhances speaking and listening skills and  enables students to expand their knowledge and understanding of language which empowers them to express themselves articulately. Through opportunities to speak aloud to the class, the rest of the school and parents, pupils enhance their self-confidence and overcome inhibitions while communicating their thoughts and ideas effectively. We believe that this cultivates a positive learning environment that encourages collaboration, empathy, and active participation in the wider community.

Reading

'Something very magical can happen when you read a good book'  J.K.Rowling 

At Beckington and Mells we believe that reading is the single most important skill we teach our children. It is the one skill that once set in motion has the ability to feed itself and all other skills.

We are passionate about books and endeavour to use language-rich texts across our curriculum to excite and engage our children and drive learning forward.

Children are read to daily from class texts which have been carefully chosen to ensure that they are interacting with a variety of genres that offer excellent learning opportunities, and act as a catalyst for imagination, creativity, and lifelong learning.

Across our schools children are given regular opportunities to read one to one, in small groups and as part of a whole class. In Reception and Key Stage 1 the focus is on decoding texts and comprehending their meaning. As children progress into Key Stage 2 they acquire a wider range of vocabulary and learn to comprehend and evaluate texts effectively. They develop inference skills, distinguishing between fact and opinion and using evidence to support their interpretations.

Alongside these skills, pupils are taught to read with prosody. They learn to vary their intonation, volume, and pace to convey meaning and engage listeners when reading aloud. This helps develop fluency and enhances their understanding of the written text.

Writing

'There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you.' - Beatrix Potter

Across our federation we follow a five point structure to teaching writing:

Let’s Explore- We always begin teaching a new genre of writing by immersing the children in a rich selection of quality texts. These have been selected to showcase the necessary skills and to excite the children about their writing. Often a new writing topic is launched with a 'wow' moment such as the use of visual literacy, through the medium of film, real life experiences, drama and role play, mock crimes scenes or educational visits. Classes are immersed in the text type and begin to unpick elements that will aid their success when later writing their own.

Let’s Prepare- During this stage the children are given support and time to plan their own pieces of writing. This could be through imitating the writing of a particular author, or changing a few elements of the story to make it their own, or completely inventing their own piece of literature inspired by what they have read.

Let’s Write - Children are given regular opportunities to write in 'short bursts' throughout a writing topic as they work towards their final extended piece. Our pupils are supported to closely follow their plans and use their new found skills to show case their learning.

Let’s Improve- In both our schools we know that our first idea is not always our best idea and therefore it is important that we go back over our writing and make adjustments. Pupils are supported to use their purple polishing pens to improve their spellings, change punctuation or alter their sentences to make them even better.

Let’s share- Finally pupils are given an opportunity to share their writing. This could be through reading it aloud in class or assembly, publishing it for display in the classroom or book corners, or sharing it with other staff or pupils in the school. We believe that having a purpose behind writing drives a desire to do well and our pupils thrive on the opportunity to show off their learning.

We encourage our children to be ambitious with their writing, not shying away from good words because they are unsure of how to spell them. Through our wide reading we build vocabulary banks that all children can draw on in their independent writing.

Common Exception Words/ Spellings bands Years 1 - 4

Please see below the common exception words and spelling bands for all years (excluding EYFS)