"Writing is the painting of the voice." Voltaire

At Measham CE Primary School, it is our intent to equip children with lifelong knowledge; skills and understanding that will teach children to become confident with speaking, reading and writing. We strive to ensure that all children receive a powerful introduction to English from Early Years Foundation Stage to the end of Year 6 and that this is embedded within our school culture. It is our intention to immerse pupils within our book rich curriculum to develop a lasting love of reading.
 
English is a core subject within the National Curriculum and it underpins educational and social progress within our daily life. The acquisition of language skills is a fundamental aspect to learning at Measham CE School and we endeavour to provide many opportunities for our young learners to succeed and develop strong language and communication skills. Confidence in language skills gives young learners the opportunity to communicate imaginatively, preparing them for success in their future journey in education and beyond.
 
Our aims are:

• To ensure that children become a reader, a writer and a confident speaker by the time they leave Year 6
• To promote and instil a love of reading for pleasure
• To deliver a top-quality and carefully sequenced curriculum that is progressive throughout the school and fosters the acquisition or knowledge and skills
• To broaden the vocabulary of our children

 
The teaching and implementation of the English Curriculum at Measham CE Primary School is based on the National Curriculum expectations. We aim to ensure that all pupils:
 

• Read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• Develop the habit of reading widely and often, both for pleasure and information
• Acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• Appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• Write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• Use discussion in order to learn, they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• Are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate

 
At Measham CE School it is our intention to provide children with a high-quality education to develop children’s ability to communicate their thoughts, ideas and emotions effectively. Writing is an integral aspect of our curriculum; from EYFS to Year 6 learning is structured to ensure that all learners are able to access and develop their skills throughout the year. We encourage all of our learners to take pride and presentation within their writing, children begin in EYFS forming letters non-cursive. From Year 1 children begin pre-cursive handwriting and are encouraged to join from Year 2, continuing through to Year 6. See our Handwriting Policy for more information about how we teach handwriting in our school.
 
We follow The Write Stuff approach within our writing sessions. All children from EYFS to Year 6 learn how to build sentences using adventurous vocabulary linked to our book rich curriculum. Our writing sessions are guided by a Writing Rainbow which encourages learners to think about writing through different lenses and the teacher models clearly how to do this, before an independent write at the end of a unit.