English
We encourage our children to explore their imagination and to express their ideas confidently, both orally and through creative writing. This goes hand in hand with promoting handwriting and the correct use of grammar and punctuation. We nurture a love of books at Merlin because we know that good reading skills will help the children progress in all other subjects.
The English language is vital for communicating in every aspect of our lives. At the Merlin School, we strive to develop a long-lasting enthusiasm for the written and spoken word. The ability to express ideas effectively, both verbally and on paper, is key not only to success in other subjects but also to developing self-esteem, confidence, reasoning and thinking.
At Merlin we enhance all children’s skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, enabling them to express themselves with clarity, sharing dialogue and debate. We have a broad curriculum encompassing stories, poetry, drama and non-fiction. Moreover, we recognise that excellent expression in English requires assimilation of reading, writing, spelling, speaking and listening. It is these five main areas that form the basis of our English curriculum.
RECEPTION
Reading:
Children read and understand simple sentences. They use phonic knowledge to understand regular words and read them aloud accurately. They also read some common irregular words. They demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what they have read.
Writing:
Children use their phonic knowledge to write words in ways which match their spoken sounds. They also write some irregular common words. They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others. Some words are spelt correctly and others are phonetically plausible.
Our curriculum is carefully differentiated to suit the needs of the individual child. The children are immersed in stories, spelling, phonics, language and reading in literacy lessons every day. As soon as the child is ready they are taught to write in cursive script.
YEAR 1
Speaking and listening is fundamental to the English curriculum; pupils are taught to speak clearly and to think about the needs of their listeners. A high standard of English is modelled constantly by staff both verbally and on paper and sessions regularly include shared reading and writing. Whilst phonic patterns and spellings become gradually more complicated, stories and creativity remain at the heart of our delivery of this subject.
UPPER SCHOOL – YEARS 2 & 3
We want all children at Merlin School to enjoy exposure to a rich and varied selection of books and nurture a real love of reading. Similarly, we aim to encourage children to develop a love for the written word, as well as acquiring the skills that will enable them to become imaginative and creative story-tellers.
Because accurate spelling supports Merlin children’s reading and writing, we ensure that our robust and differentiated spelling scheme helps them develop confidence with the phonic structure of language.
We teach children to understand inference in a text; they learn to recognize different styles of writing, including report writing, play writing, diaries and poetry. Requirements of the 7/8+ English curriculum are covered.