English at Outwood

All children participate in a structured programme using the objectives as set out in the National curriculum.  These objectives are progressive across the key stages and develop all aspects of the English language. Writing, spelling and grammatical conventions are intergrated into a comprehensive learning programme which sits alongside the skills of reading.

Reading 

It is our aim at Outwood, to encourage all our children to become confident and enthusiastic readers; we actively promote a love of reading. We encourage our children to read and to enjoy looking at a variety of fiction and non-fiction books. Book bag books and library books are taken home to share with parents which supports the children's reading progress and love of books. Children in KS2 have daily guided reading time, using the Talk4Reading approach, for 30 minutes which develops their comprehension skills of prediction, inference, retrieval, explanation, summarising and vocabulary. An appreciation of literature is achieved by ensuring that children are introduced to a wide range of texts.  All year groups have dedicated story time built into their time table when well-chosen books are read, with enthusiasm and expression, to the children.  KS2 also have access to First News, a newspaper designed for children. Library time is allocated to each class where the skills of how to use a library are taught as well as books being shared with the children. 

Please take a look at our dedicated Reading and Phonics page.

Writing

At Outwood, we use the Talk for Writing approach. This approach fundamentally teaches children how to be writers – not just how to write. It supports children to be able to generate ideas, draw upon their reading and write confidently for a variety of audiences and purposes.  The methodology follows a three-tier pattern: Immersion, Innovation and Independent Application.  During the immersion stage, children get to know a text really well by orally learning it, exploring it through drama and then reading it for vocabulary, comprehension and writerly tools.  The innovation stage is grounded in the processes of shared writing, with a strong and systematic focus on securing the basics of handwriting, phonics/spelling and grammar in relation to what is needed for the text type being taught. The final stage, independent application, promotes children to draft, edit and publish their own independent versions.Narrative and non-narrative writing is taught in a dynamic and stimulating way and units are linked to high quality children's literature and real-life experiences. Grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting are taught daily through T4W and are delivered at age appropriate expectations.

Outwood has their own newspaper club made up of a number of budding writers. Take a look at our published newspapers. 

Files to Download