English
At Queen's Drive Primary School, our English curriculum is rooted in our core values: aspirational, nurturing, respectful, and healthy.
Aspirational: We encourage all children to aim high by fostering a love for reading, empowering them to see themselves as ‘real readers and writers,’ and equipping pupils with the skills to communicate confidently in all areas of life. We understand that to aspire to future careers and ambitions, children need a foundation of relevant knowledge. We provide this by exploring first-hand experiences, biographies of local legends, and stories of individuals who have overcome adversity to make positive changes in the world we live in.
Nurturing: Through supportive teaching and well-resourced class and school libraries, we create a safe and encouraging environments where every child feels valued and capable of achieving their best.
Respectful: By exploring diverse texts and perspectives, we teach children to understand and respect different ideas, cultures, and experiences, developing empathy and thoughtful communication.
Healthy: We promote a balanced approach to learning, where reading and writing support emotional well-being and enable children to express their thoughts and feelings effectively.
This values-driven approach inspires our children to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, laying the foundation for success across the curriculum and beyond.
Reading
We hope our pupils will foster a life-long love of reading, providing them with the opportunity to explore new ideas, visit new places and meet new characters. Through reading, pupils have the chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. The children are encouraged to read widely, exploring both fiction and non-fiction texts, which introduces them to new and exciting vocabulary.
Please visit our phonics page for further information on strategies used to develop our children as confident and independent readers.
Writing
At Queen’s Drive, writing is taught through transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing). In Key Stage 1, children are taught spelling through learning to segment in phonics sessions. From Year 2, the children learn and are encouraged to explore spelling rules. This continues through Key Stage 2, leading to their development as independent and accurate spellers, who are confident with adventurous vocabulary.
The children are provided with varying stimulus such as drama and reading, to support their ideas for writing. Each year group has mapped out writing opportunities which culminate in scaffolded and independent writing, rich with vocabulary and varying grammatical skills.
Speaking and Listening
At Queen’s Drive, spoken language permeates the entire curriculum and underpins the development of reading and writing right from Early Years. Children are encouraged, through drama sessions, to adopt roles and further develop a character's thoughts and feelings, which enhances the children's writing abilities. Through developing their communication skills, the children are preparing themselves for future life.
The subject leaders for English are Mrs. Higgs and Mrs. Robertson.