English Policy and Long-Term Plan
English Policy and Long Term Plan
English Policy
Reading
Books and texts have been carefully selected for reading lessons, writing units and storytimes. The books, along with rationale and explanation of where each fits within the wider curriculum can be found in ‘Beckfield Book Choices’.
Story times
Story times happen at least daily in every class. These are aimed at developing pupils’ love of reading. The books chosen are typically just above pupils’ reading ages or contain pertinent themes.
Phonics
The Read, Write Inc programme is followed for teaching phonics. We follow the trust Early Reading and Phonics Policy.
Pupils struggling with decoding are listed on the ‘Priority Readers’ list. These pupils read with an adult every day and have additional practice of recalling speed sounds, as well as sounding out and blending words.
Pupils in Key Stage 2 who are not yet decoding accurately access the Fresh Start phonics programme.
Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension lessons take place in Years 2 to 6. All content domains will be covered over a half term, with an emphasis on vocabulary, inference and retrieval.
Extracts are chosen carefully to match the content domain. Extracts are typically short (one or two paragraphs). Once a half term, pupils will work on a longer extract (similar in length to one text from the NTS tests).
These include a balance of poetry, non-fiction and classic texts. Extracts from the story time book and the Focus English texts will also be used. Each half term, where appropriate, one extract will be linked to the science topic of the previous half term, and one will be linked to the history or geography knowledge from the previous half term. This forms a part of our system of revisiting key knowledge.
Teachers follow this sequence for teaching reading. They write their own questions and use question and answer stems to support this and pupils’ answers. Teachers design a range of activities, including those found in the teaching strategies resource.
The extract (small version if necessary), questions and pupils’ answers will appear in their reading comprehension books. The title of each entry will be the content domain.
Independent reading
From Year 4 onwards, pupils have time tabled sessions for independent reading. Pupils are assessed half termly using the Accelerated Reader programme. This gives them a ZPD. All books in the library are coded so that pupils choose books at the appropriate level of difficulty.
The reading leader analyses data in relation to pupils’ independent reading rates each half term.
Writing
Focus English texts to be used for English lessons. See LTP below.
Teachers use the Focus overviews and resources provided to create their own plans using this format. Teachers save their plans in the ‘Short-term planning’ folder for their year group.
For Years 1 to 6, this writing sequence must be followed, with special attention to the grammar knowledge.
For early years, this writing sequence must be followed.
Each half term, one piece of extended writing will be ‘published’ in pupils’ ‘Best Writing’ books. Pupils will continue to add to the same book as they move through the academy. Teachers must ensure that a range of genres are covered in the ‘Best Writing’ books. Teachers will assess these pieces of extended writing for each pupil using the yellow tick sheets which will be stuck in the front of the ‘Best Writing’ books. As pupils progress, the relevant yellow tick sheet will be stuck on the next page. Teachers will use their half termly assessments to reach a termly judgement for each child, which is entered on OTrack.
Handwriting
The academy uses the Letter Join approach to handwriting. Progression in handwriting is clearly mapped out for teachers to follow.
Spelling
Teachers follow the No Nonsense spelling scheme. This is adapted for pupils learning phonics through Read, Write Inc.
Long-Term Plan Writing
For Nursery and Reception, see the writing sequence and book choices.
Year 1
Year 1 | Aut 1 | Aut 2 | Spr 1 | Spr 2 | Sum 1 | Sum 2 |
English text | The Bog Baby - Jeanne Willis | Lost and Found - Oliver Jeffers | Dogger - Shirley Hughes | Beegu - Alexis Deacon | The Naughty Bus - Jan Oke | The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett |
Genres to write | Narrative (retelling) NCR (fact file) | Narrative (retelling) NCR (fact file) | Narrative (retelling) NC report | Narrative (retelling) Recount | Narrative (own version) NC report | Narrative (retelling) NC report |
WAGOLL | ||||||
Grammar and punctuation knowledge Blue type indicates consolidation. Bold & black type shows new knowledge. | To be taught in every unit: Know what a sentence is when speaking. Recognise upper and lower case letters. Find sentences in reading. Notice sentence demarcation in reading. Know that a sentence needs a capital letter. Know that a sentence ends with a full stop. Write sentences with capital letters and full stops. | |||||
Personal pronoun I: -Find in reading. -Notice that I is always a capital. -Use and check a capital for I in writing. Capitals for names for people: -Find in reading. -Know that the names of people need capital letters. -Use and check capital letters for names of people in writing. | Consolidate personal pronoun I. Consolidate capitals for names for people. Capitals for names of places: -find in reading. -Know that the names of places need capital letters. -Use and check capital letters for names of places in writing. Conjunction ‘and’: -Notice that and can join two words. -Use the word and to join two words in a sentence. -Notice that the word and can join two sentences. -Know that the word and can help to join ideas together. -Practise joining two sentences with and. | Consolidate personal pronoun I. Consolidate capitals for names for people and places. Consolidate conjunction ‘and’ Sentence types: -Know that there are different types of sentences. -Hear the difference between a question and a statement. -Find questions in reading. -Know that a question needs a question mark at the end. -Write question sentences with capital letters and question marks. Capitals for names of days of week: -Use and check capital letters for the days of the week in writing. | Consolidate sentence types. Consolidate personal pronoun I. Consolidate capitals for names for people, places and days of week. Consolidate conjunction ‘and’ Suffixes: -regular plural noun suffixes (s or es) -suffixes which require no change to the root word, e.g. helper, helping, helped. | Consolidate sentence types. Consolidate personal pronoun I. Consolidate capitals for names for people, places and days of week. Consolidate conjunction ‘and’ Consolidate suffixes. Exclamation marks: -Find exclamation sentences in reading. -Know that an exclamation sentence needs an exclamation mark at the end. -Write exclamation sentences with capital letters and exclamation marks. | Consolidate sentence types and exclamation marks. Consolidate personal pronoun I. Consolidate capitals for names for people, places and days of week. Consolidate conjunction ‘and’ Consolidate suffixes and: -prefix un - how it changes the meaning of verbs and adjectives. | |
Year 2
Year 2 | Aut 1 | Aut 2 | Spr 1 | Spr 2 | Sum 1 | Sum 2 |
English text | Paddington at the Palace - Michael Bond Katie in London - James Mayhew | The Owl and the Pussycat - Edward Lear The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat - Julia Donaldson | Man on the Moon - Simon Bartram One Giant Leap - Don Brown | Wild - Emily Hughes Out and About - Shirley Hughes | Leather Shoe Charlie - Gyeong-hwa Kim Daisy Saves the Day - Shirley Hughes | Lila and the Secret of Rain by David Conway and Jude Daly |
Genres to write | Narrative (Retelling events, first person) Setting description | Narrative (own version) Instructions | Narrative NC report | Narrative (retelling with detail) Poem NC report | Narrative (retelling; setting description) Recount | Narrative (character description; setting description) NC report |
WAGOLL | ||||||
Grammar and punctuation knowledge Blue type indicates consolidation. Bold & black type shows new knowledge. | Consolidate Y1 knowledge: accurate use of capital letters (inc for names of people, places and days of the week), full stops, question marks and exclamation marks. To be taught in every unit: -form nouns using suffixes inc -ness and -er, and by compounding (e.g. superman, whiteboard) -form adjectives using suffixes inc -ful, -less -use suffixes -er, -est in adjectives -turn adjectives into adverbs using -ly | |||||
Sentences: -Know what a sentence is and that it makes sense on its own. -Know that a sentence (clause) needs a verb. Expanded noun phrases: -Choose precise nouns to use in writing. -Recognise that an adjective gives more information about a noun. -Find adjectives in reading and in own writing and talk about their effectiveness. -Choose effective adjectives to use in own writing. -Understand and use time adverbials. | Sentence types: -Know that sentences have different functions. -Find different sentence types in reading. -Identify the punctuation needed for different sentence types. -Notice that a command sentence needs the same punctuation as a statement sentence. -Notice that a command sentence starts with a verb. -Notice that question sentences can start in different ways. Consolidate expanded noun phrases and: -Recognise that a noun phrase can be expanded by an adjective. -Choose effective adjectives to expand nouns and select the most effective. -Use noun phrases in own writing to add detail. -Evaluate the effectiveness of noun phrases used in own writing. | Consolidate expanded noun phrases. Tenses: -Check that the tense in own writing is consistent. Conjunctions: -Know that sentences (clauses) can be joined in different ways. -Find sentences (clauses) joined by and, but, or in reading. -Know that these words are called conjunctions. | Consolidate expanded noun phrases. Consolidate tenses. Consolidate co-ordinating conjunctions (and, but, so) and: -Know that sentences (clauses) can be joined in different ways. -Find sentences (clauses) joined by subordinating conjunctions (when, if, that, because). -Know that these words are also called conjunctions. Apostrophes for missing letters: -recognise and know how to use omissive apostrophes accurately for contracted words (e.g. can’t haven’t, I’ve, let’s) | Consolidate expanded noun phrases. Consolidate apostrophes for omission and introduce possession: -Know that an apostrophe can indicate ownership. -Orally rehearse examples of singular possession. -Write sentences using rehearsed examples. | Consolidate sentence types. Consolidate expanded noun phrases. Consolidate omissive and possessive apostrophes: -Use apostrophes for singular possession correctly in own writing. Consolidate conjunctions and: -Extend independent sentences (clauses) by adding a sentence (clause) starting with a subordinating conjunction (when, if, that, because). Commas for lists: -Use commas to punctuate sentences where there are items in a list. | |
Year 3
Year 3 | Aut 1 | Aut 2 | Spr 1 | Spr 2 | Sum 1 | Sum 2 |
English text | *The Firework Maker’s Daughter - Philip Pullman Fireworks - James Reeves | The Abominables - Eva Ibbotson My Mother Saw a Dancing Bear | Stone Age Boy - Satoshi Kitamura The First Drawing - Mordicai Gerstein The Boy with the Bronze Axe - Kathleen Fidler | Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) - abridged version - Emma Chichester Clark | *Orion and the Dark - Emma Yarlett The Sound Collector | The Flower - John Light What is pink? - Christina Rosetti A Child’s Garden - Michael Foreman |
Genres to write | Narrative (retelling from character’s pov) NC report Poetry | Narrative (new chapter) Diary Poetry | Narrative (retelling in detail) NC report | Narrative (retelling from character’s pov) Poetry NC report | Narrative (retelling with dialogue) Poetry NC report | Narrative (retelling with detail and dialogue) NC report Fact file |
WAGOLL | ||||||
Grammar and punctuation knowledge Blue type indicates consolidation. Bold & black type shows new knowledge. | To be taught in every unit: Use sentences with more than one clause. Use complex sentences appropriately in writing. Form nouns using prefixes inc super-, anti-, auto- Use a and an accurately (know that it depends on whether the next word starts with a consonant or a vowel. Know about word families with common words and related meanings e.g. solve, solution, solver, dissolve, insoluble. Consolidate Y2 knowledge: possessive apostrophes and expanded noun phrases. | |||||
Conjunctions and adverbs: -Use time adverbs (e.g. then, next, soon, therefore) -use conjunctions (when, before, after, while, so, because) -use prepositions (before, after, during, in, because of) -Use conjunctions to show reasons or causes in writing. Subordinate clauses: -make choices about when to move a subordinate clause to the beginning of a sentence. Direct speech: -understand that direct speech can show character and move events forward. | Consolidate direct speech and: Use inverted commas for direct speech. Consolidate subordinate clauses and: -Make choices about the position of a prepositional phrase in a sentence. Consolidate conjunctions and adverbs and: -prepositions -use to show time in writing - to indicate sequences of events or the passing of time. | Consolidate direct speech, including using inverted commas. Consolidate subordinate clauses. Consolidate conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions. Present perfect tense: Use the present perfect tense (e.g. she has lived there all her life, the plant has already grown taller than…) when appropriate in writing. Paragraphs: -know that paragraphs are a way of grouping related material -headings and subheadings aid presentation | Consolidate direct speech. Consolidate subordinate clauses. Consolidate past perfect tense. Consolidate conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions. Consolidate paragraphs. | Consolidate present perfect tense and: Understand and use different forms of the past tense. Consolidate direct speech. Consolidate subordinate clauses. Consolidate conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions. Consolidate paragraphs | Consolidate subordinate clauses. Consolidate present perfect tense. Consolidate direct speech. Consolidate conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions. Consolidate paragraphs | |
Year 4
Year 4 | Aut 1 | Aut 2 | Spr 1 | Spr 2 | Sum 1 | Sum 2 |
English text | The Incredible Book Eating Boy - Oliver Jeffers | Egyptian Cinderella - Shirley Climo | Escape from Pompeii - Christina Balit Bushfire - Jackie Kay | Roman Diary: The Journal of Iliona - Richard Platt | The Wind in the Willows -Kenneth Graham The River | The Promise - Nicola Davies |
Genres to write | Narrative (retelling from character’s pov) NC report (explanation) | Narrative (traditional tale) NC report (explanation) | Recount NC report | Recount Diary | Narrative (retelling from character’s pov) NC report (explanation) | Poetry Persuasive Narrative (descriptive opening) |
WAGOLL | ||||||
Grammar and punctuation knowledge Blue type indicates consolidation. Bold & black type shows new knowledge. | To be taught in every unit: -the grammatical difference between plural and possessive s -standard English inc We were, I was Consolidate Y3 knowledge: paragraphs as a way of grouping related content. | |||||
Expanded noun phrases: -a noun phrase can be expanded by adjective/s. -a noun phrase can be expanded by a prepositional phrase (telling the reader how, when or where). - a noun phrase can be expanded by adverbial phrases -Develop noun phrases expanded before and after the noun. -Evaluate their effectiveness in painting a picture in words for the reader. Possessive apostrophes: -Know the difference between singular and plural nouns and how they are formed. -Identify the difference – ‘s and s’ -Recognise the use of ‘s in the irregular plural nouns. -Use apostrophes for possession correctly in own writing Direct speech: -Understand how writers use direct speech to show character and move events forward. -Use inverted commas for direct speech. -Include punctuation inside the inverted commas. -Use the comma to mark the reporting clause in direct speech in writing. -Use direct speech in writing to show character. | Consolidate expanded noun phrases and: -Understand when it is useful to use expanded noun phrases in writing. -Use expanded noun phrases in own writing to add detail. Fronted adverbials: -Use a fronted adverbial to show how, when or where something happened. -Add fronted adverbials to sentences, marking their boundary with a comma. -Choose when to use a how, when or where fronted adverbial. Consolidate direct speech. | Consolidate expanded noun phrases (inc A2 content). Consolidate fronted adverbials and: -Choose when to use a how, when or where fronted adverbial for an identified purpose. (For example, how a character was feeling). Pronouns: -Find examples of pronouns in reading and in own writing. -Understand that using pronouns to replace nouns stops repetition of nouns. -Check own writing for repetition of nouns. Cohesion in paragraphs: -use of pronouns and nouns within and across sentences to aid cohesion and avoid repetition. | Consolidate expanded noun phrases (inc A2 content). Consolidate fronted adverbials (inc A2 and Sp1 content) and: -Recognise that a fronted adverbial can be used to show changes in time and place at the beginning of paragraphs. -Begin to use fronted adverbials to open paragraphs to show changes in time and place. Consolidate pronouns. Consolidate paragraphs Inc cohesion. Consolidate possessive apostrophes. | Consolidate fronted adverbials (all previous content) and: -Use fronted adverbials to open paragraphs to show changes in time and place in narrative writing. -Use fronted adverbials to open paragraphs in non-narrative writing. (For example, in explanatory writing - After heavy rainfall …) Consolidate direct speech. Consolidate possessive apostrophes. Consolidate pronouns. Consolidate paragraphs Inc cohesion. | Consolidate expanded noun phrases (inc A2 content). Consolidate fronted adverbials and: -Use fronted adverbials to open paragraphs to show changes in time and place in narrative writing. Consolidate possessive apostrophes. Consolidate pronouns. Consolidate paragraphs Inc cohesion. | |
Year 5
Year 5 | Aut 1 | Aut 2 | Spr 1 | Spr 2 | Sum 1 | Sum 2 |
English text | Leon and the place inbetween - Angela McAllister The Magic Box - Kit Wright | Who let the gods out? Maz Evans | Journey to Jo’burg - Beverley Naidoo Who was Nelson Mandela - Meg Belviso | Beowulf Michael Morpurgo | The man who walked between two towers - Mordicai Gerstein If - Rudyard Kipling | The Nowhere Emporium -Ross MacKenzie |
Genres to write | Narrative (new chapter) NC report Poetry | Narrative (character description) Diary Recount | Diary entry Narrative (letter) Persuasive argument | Narrative (style of author) NC report Kenning | Narrative (flashback) Journalistic NC report (explanation) | Narrative (setting description) NC report Eye witness account |
WAGOLL | ||||||
Grammar and punctuation knowledge Blue type indicates consolidation. Bold & black type shows new knowledge. | To be taught in every unit: -convert nouns or adjectives into verbs using suffixes inc -ate, -ise, -ify -verb prefixes inc dis-, de-, mis-, over-, re-. -use of commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity Consolidate Y3 and Y4 knowledge on paragraphs - inc grouping ideas and cohesion. | |||||
Relative clauses: -Know that a relative clause adds information to a sentence. -Know that a relative clause starts with a relative pronoun. -Know that a relative clause comes straight after a noun. -Know that relative pronouns are who, which, whose, whom, that, where, when. -Find relative clauses in reading. -Know that a relative clause may be embedded in a main clause between two commas and gives more information about the noun it follows. -Add relative clauses to main clauses to add additional information, using commas. Punctuation: -Understand that a comma cannot be used instead of a full stop. -Check own writing for commas used instead of full stops. Parenthesis -Understand that a sentence may have a part which adds information or an explanation. -Understand that this part can be taken out without losing meaning. -Notice that this information can be marked off in different ways: Brackets, dashes, commas | Consolidate expanded noun phrases (see Y4). Consolidate direct speech (see Y4). Consolidate fronted adverbials (see Y4). Paragraphs: -use devices to build cohesion within a paragraph (e.g. then, after that, this, firstly) | Consolidate relative clauses. Consolidate punctuation from A1. Consolidate parenthesis from A1. Consolidate paragraphs and: -Understand that the topic sentence can signal a change in time, place, event or information. -Notice that the topic sentence of a paragraph links to the content of the previous paragraph. Modal verbs: -Understand how a modal verb is used to express different degrees of possibility (inc might, should, will, must) -adverbs can also be used to indicate degrees of possibility (inc perhaps, surely). -Order identified modal verbs from most certain to least certain. -Write/use sentences with modal verbs to use in writing. -Use modal verbs in sentences to develop an argument. | Consolidate relative clauses. Consolidate punctuation from A1. Consolidate paragraphs and: -Know that choice of tense in the topic sentence can also help to link ideas – past progressive (e.g. he had seen her before). -Develop appropriate topic sentence for each paragraph when writing, using adverbials and/or tense choice to signal change in time (e.g. later), place (e.g. nearby), event or information. Consolidate modal verbs and: -Know that modal adverbs can be used to modify modal verbs. -Understand that modal adverbs can strengthen the degree of possibility. -Write/use sentences with modal verbs and adverbs. | Consolidate relative clauses. Consolidate punctuation from A1. Consolidate paragraphs and -Link ideas across paragraphs using adverbials of time (e.g. later), place (nearby) and number (secondly) or tense choices Consolidate parenthesis from A1. Consolidate modal verbs | Know that choice of tense in the topic sentence can also help to link ideas – past Consolidate paragraphs and -Check that paragraphs link to each other. Consolidate relative clauses and: -Recognise that using commas in different places changes the meaning of the sentence. -Correct sentences in which the meaning is not clear by putting in or moving commas. -Use commas correctly in own writing. -Use relative clauses in narrative and non-narrative writing appropriately to add information. | |
Year 6
Year 6 | Aut 1 | Aut 2 | Spr 1 | Spr 2 | Sum 1 | Sum 2 |
English text | Wonder RJ Palacio | Wonder RJ Palacio MacBeth - Shakespeare | Trash Andy Mulligan | Trash Andy Mulligan | Holes Louis Sacher | Tales from Arabian Nights - Andrew Lang The Door - Miroslav Holub |
Genres to write | Recount Diary NC report Eye witness account | Persuasive text Poem Balanced argument | NC report Narrative (new chapter) Balanced argument | Journalistic Letter Narrative (new chapter) Balanced argument | Journalistic Narrative (Setting description) Diary | Narrative (new chapter) Journalistic Persuasive writing |
WAGOLL | ||||||
Grammar and punctuation knowledge Blue type indicates consolidation. Bold & black type shows new knowledge. | Paragraphs: Understand that a wide range of devices are used to link ideas in paragraphs including: -repetition of a word or phrase -grammatical connections (e.g. adverbials inc on the other hand, in contrast, as a consequence) -ellipsis -layout devices (inc headings, subheadings, columns, bullets, tables). Recognise that these will be different according to the text type, purpose and audience. Use appropriate cohesive devices in own writing. Check that selected devices link ideas. Formal/informal -know the difference between vocabulary used for informal speech and vocab appropriate for formal speech and writing -know that the structures of informal speech are different to those of formal speech and writing inc informal question tags (e.g. isn’t he?) and formal subjunctive form. -Choose the correct level of formality for the audience and purpose of the writing. Consolidate expanded noun phrases (see Y4): Develop a bank of noun phrases for current writing. Active/passive -Understand that sentences can be active or passive and when it is appropriate to use it. -Use the passive voice appropriately to change the focus or emphasis or in impersonal writing. Semi-colon, dashes, hyphens -Use a colon to introduce a list -use semi-colons to separate items that are longer than one word in a list. -use dashes to mark the boundary between independent clauses. -Use hyphens to avoid ambiguity (e.g. man eating shark vs man-eating shark). | Consolidate paragraphs and: -Find and categorise different cohesive devices from narrative reading: repetition of words , phrases or sentences, pronouns, adverbials. -Explain how they link ideas in and across paragraphs. -Find and categorise different cohesive devices from non-narrative writing – adverbials, conjunctive adverbs, pronouns. -Explain how they link ideas in and across paragraphs. -Use appropriate cohesive devices in own writing. -Check that selected devices link ideas. Consolidate formal/informal Consolidate expanded noun phrases. Consolidate active/passive. Consolidate colons, semi-colons, hyphens and dashes and: Punctuate bullet points to list information. | Consolidate paragraphs. Consolidate formal/informal Consolidate expanded noun phrases. Consolidate active/passive. | Consolidate paragraphs. Consolidate formal/informal Consolidate active/passive. Consolidate colons, semi-colons, hyphens and dashes. Consolidate active/passive. Evaluate writing for how well it either adds detail or conveys complicated information. Consolidate colons, semi-colons, hyphens and dashes and: Use hyphenated words in writing as appropriate – to clarify meaning. | ||