English

How English is taught and what it looks like at OJS 

Children will have a daily English lesson with their class teacher which focuses on a mixture of direct teaching and individual or group tasks.  

“Reading, the love of reading, is what makes you dream of becoming a writer.”   (Susan Sonntag) 

We recognise that reading is usually a vital precursor to writing and so whole class reading lessons are taught at the start of each week. These allow pupils to explore and analyse a wide range of challenging and engaging texts linked to their writing unit. The children’s fluency and comprehension skills are developed through research-based approaches (such as the HfL Reading Fluency project.) Pupils who are not yet secure in decoding are supported through daily small group phonics work (taught using the Read Write Inc phonics scheme) and individual endeavour, where children progress though different stages of books until becoming confident, fluent readers.  

Each year group has a ‘Reading Passport’ – a collection of 8-10 core books which the pupils read independently through the year. These texts have been carefully selected by our staff to excite and inspire our pupils; they reflect a wide range of authors and genres including non-fiction, poetry and graphic novels to broaden pupils’ reading experience. Our reading lessons may focus on these texts as well as others which complement our writing. High quality non-fiction books have been matched to our topic work in foundation subject so that that reading skills are strengthened throughout the curriculum. 

 
Writing is taught using Jane Considine’s ‘The Write Stuff’. This is a research-based approach which helps pupils to build up a ‘toolkit’ of writer’s techniques through modelled practice by the teacher. They then have opportunities to apply these skills in independent pieces and develop accuracy in spelling, grammar and punctuation. Extended writing opportunities are also provided in other subjects. Children are given the chance to write for real purposes, such as creating magazines for peers and writing persuasive letters to national leaders on important issues. Opportunities for children to listen to and work with authors and poets are greatly valued and we would warmly welcome any parents, carers and members of the community who would like to come in and share their passions for reading and writing. 

What your child will leave OJS knowing, understanding and appreciating in English 

At Oatlands, we want all children to leave Year 6 able to read accurately, fluently and expressively and to carry with them a love of reading that will last a lifetime. We will ensure that they have experienced a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, classics, recent titles, books by a wide range of authors and books which reflect the lives of a broad range of people. They will have the opportunity to enjoy books in different places: our wonderful library, our class book corners and in our outdoor reading retreat. We read engaging class stories every day and we will give our pupils lots of opportunities to discuss their thoughts and opinions about what we read. Those that particularly love reading may have the chance to become Reading Ambassadors and share their enthusiasm with others.  

As writers, we want them to enjoy expressing themselves eloquently and for different purposes and audiences. We will help them to develop a full range of writer's techniques including a secure understanding of grammar and spelling to enable them to communicate clearly. Your child should also have had the pleasure of working with visiting authors and poets and experiencing theatre productions during their time here.