English can be thought of in 4 key areas although all linking together to make up the broader English curriculum; reading, writing, grammar, phonics & spelling. At Walton on the Hill we recognise the importance of weaving all of these elements together as well as the need from some discrete teaching.

Writing: We teach writing in a topic-based approach linking in to other areas of the curriculum such as history, geography or science. We use quality texts to inspire writing as well as forms of visual literacy; film clips, pictures, picture books etc.

Reading: Reading underpins everything we do. We ensure children have exposure to quality texts in their classrooms, in the library and as lesson stimuli. In Key Stage 2 we moved to a whole class reading approach to replace the traditional guided reading carousel and have been pleased with the results. This way, all children are exposed to a quality text which the class can enjoy together as well as having the option to feed it into other curriculum areas. Please see our Reading curriculum page for more specific information on Reading in our school. 

Grammar: The majority of the grammar curriculum is taught through our writing lessons; each lesson will have a grammar objective to focus on. When needed, discrete grammar lessons may be taught.

Phonics & Spelling: Phonics is taught progressively through our EYFS and Key Stage 1 classes with support groups in place where needed. In Key Stage 2, spelling patterns for each year group are explicitly taught each week with opportunities for both directed and independent practise of these. We have recently invested in a new phonics scheme, Monster Phonics, in line with the new government guidance on using a validated phonics scheme and a matched, fully decodable reading scheme. All class based staff have a thorough understanding of how phonics is taught in school to ensure we hae consistent teaching and vocabulary across the school.