As we use language to build our understanding and opinion of the world and our diverse community, at Cherbourg we want to develop the children’s love of language through wide and varied experiences, from the books they read to the trips they venture on. This will, in turn, support them to succeed at school and in later life.

At Cherbourg, our aim is to support all our pupils to become confident and articulate children who are able to communicate through spoken and written language. We also aim to enable all pupils to access important written information as well as developing a lifelong love of reading.

The subject of ‘English’ is taught through English, Guided Reading, Spelling and Grammar lessons, however, children apply their knowledge and skills and extend their writing across the whole curriculum. We follow the National Curriculum for English as a basis for developing their reading, writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation, spoken language and drama skills.

Our approach to teaching English across the school is informed by high quality research and tried and tested strategies. It encompasses a range of activities that help the children become immersed in a text type; getting to know the key language, vocabulary and sentence features required for that particular purpose and form and then practising their skills in short apprentice writes. Once the children are confident in their skills, they apply them in their English sessions in longer, more sustained pieces of writing as well as in their wider curriculum at a later date to exemplify what they have learnt and are able to apply within broader contexts. Shared, Guided and Independent reading and writing builds children’s confidence, enabling them to evaluate and critique texts before crafting their own writing using what they have learnt and their own imagination to invent new texts for specific purposes. The process of teaching English at Cherbourg involves regular practise of reading, spelling, grammar and sentence level activities that enable children to discover, experiment, practise and apply what they have learnt in focused pieces of work.