English Curriculum 

Intent

At RCPA we strive to ensure we develop a lifelong love of reading and writing.  We have placed reading at the heart of our curriculum so that pupils gain a positive attitude and the skills and knowledge to fully access all areas of the curriculum and achieve their potential throughout life. We believe reading opens up a new world for pupils and gives them the opportunity to explore new ideas, visit new places, meet new characters and develop a better understanding of other cultures and the changing world around them. It is our intention to immerse pupils in the wonders of quality texts to instil a love for reading, a passion for discovery and a confidence to explore their imagination. Exposing pupils to print through stories, rhymes and books will help to inspire and instil a love of reading.

 

Writing is a crucial part of our broad and balanced curriculum.  We intend for pupils to be able to be inquisitive and to plan, revise, present and evaluate their writing in different genres and for different purposes and audiences. To be able to do this effectively, pupils will focus on developing effective composition and creativity whilst developing an awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar.

 

We aspire for all pupils to learn to read well using phonics as the prime approach.  Phonics are the roots for reading that help our pupils grow to become confident readers with reading for pleasure at the very heart of our reading curriculum. At RCPA, the teaching of phonics is high priority as we believe that all pupils should progress through the phonics phases with fluency and confidence. A strong phonics basis enables us to ensure all pupils flourish as readers and use these essential tools to access the whole curriculum, to engage and make sense of knowledge and to explore, question and respond to the world.

 

When handwriting, we aim for each pupil to achieve a neat, legible style with correctly formed letters in accordance with the cursive font.  Flow and speed will be developed to eventually produce the letters automatically and in their independent writing style. It is our goal at RCPA to provide pupils with a high-quality education in English that will enable all pupils to communicate effectively and to achieve or succeed their potential. We aim for each pupil to speak, read and write fluently so that they have the confidence to communicate their ideas and emotions to others effectively, and become a positive citizen in their community and wider world.

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