eNGLISH

The definition of a book (noun) - A magical doorway to a world of Adventure and possibility

"English is my favourite subject!" MV Pupil

"It is evident as a parent and a Governor how important reading is at MV" MV Parent

The purpose of English:

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils, therefore, who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.

The aim of our approach to English is to equip all pupils with the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to be able to acquire a love of language and literature. We strive for our children to become proficient readers,  writers, speakers and listeners who are always ready for the next stage of their education. We firmly believe that reading, writing and oracy are the springboards to life-improving opportunities.

Our English teaching is based on the National Curriculum; however, the curriculum at Morley Victoria is made distinct by organising it into short units that can stand alone or link with the wider areas of the curriculum, depending upon the interests of the children. The curriculum as a whole and therefore the English curriculum too, is ever-evolving. We aim to inspire the children with excellent quality texts, video clips, drama, dance or real life experiences such as trips or visitors. Everything we do has a purpose to stimulate ideas and imaginations.

The teaching of English encompasses many different elements of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Our aim is for all children to be confident and articulate users of English, who can apply their skills to all areas of the curriculum. Growth Mindset and excellent Standard English are fundamental threads of our teaching and learning approach.  We are acutely aware that communication and language is known to underpin language acquisition, as each pupil learns to verbalise their thoughts before they are able to both read and eventually write, so we make this a priority at the very start of a child's learning journey at Morley Victoria. We also have a very structured and consistent approach to the teaching of phonics - more information can be found in the phonics section of the website.

We believe that the greatest gift we can give our children is that of being able to read. This is the ‘Master Skill’ and is the gateway that opens doors to all subjects and all areas of the curriculum which excites and engages our children. As a result, this is given top priority throughout school. You can find more information in the Reading section of the website.

Spelling, grammar and handwriting are also key areas of the English Curriculum and the writing process. They are often taught discretely as an aid to building knowledge and skills that are relevant to a particular piece of work and allows the children to build these elements into their work confidently. These skills are often reinforced through independent writing tasks to apply them in meaningful contexts. We have developed several pages on our school website covering these key areas which we hope you will find informative and useful.

Learning is scaffolded to meet the needs of all pupils, providing both challenge and support - there is no ceiling on learning for any child. This is further developed by encouraging pupils to work alone when appropriate but also to collaborate frequently and effectively in pairs or small groups.

Formative assessments underpin the planning, teaching and learning cycles and enable teachers to immediately intervene in the learning process. Statutory phonics screening, reading assessments and writing assessments are completed in the relevant year groups. Other year groups use age-standardised test materials on a termly basis.

By the time children leave Morley Victoria, they are confident, engaged and articulate learners with the ability to communicate in a wide range of situations. They are equipped with the knowledge and skills to continue their journey at high school and into the future.