Overview

At Windmill Hill Academy, we are ‘Inspiring Passionate Lifelong Learners’ by providing them with a broad and balanced to inspire and motivate pupils to have high aspirations; provide them with the tools to become assessment-capable learners and be socially responsible within the school and wider community.

English

At Windmill Hill Academy, our intent is for children to develop fluency in, and a love for, the English language, through the spoken and written word.

We recognise that English is a core subject within the National Curriculum and a pre-requisite for educational progress.

We value all languages at Windmill Hill Academy, as language is essential for social, personal and emotional progress.

Mastery over language empowers children to function effectively in a literate society and to communicate not only at a functional level but also on a creative and imaginative plane.

We strive for children to be literate. By the age of 11, we aim for children to be able to:

• read, write and speak with confidence, fluency and good understanding, drawing upon a range of independent strategies to self-monitor and correct;

• have an interest in a wide range of reading materials and read spontaneously for enjoyment and pleasure;

• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language;

• be familiar with, by understanding the structure and language features of, a range of non-narrative and narrative forms;

• be able to model their own writing on these familiar styles and forms according to the context, purpose of, and audience for, their writing;

• draw upon increasing powers of imagination, inventiveness, initiative and critical thinking in all aspects of their literacy experiences, including being reflective writers (writing with a reader’s eye and reading with a writer’s eye);

• at least meet age related expectations in all aspects of English. • speak clearly and convey ideas confidently using Standard English;

• develop their understanding through speculating, hypothesising and exploring ideas, enabling them to clarify their thinking as well as organise their ideas for writing;

• read fluently and understand extended prose (both fiction and non-fiction);

• write at length, with accurate spelling, punctuation, and correct use of grammar for a range of purposes and audiences.

Please see Phonics and Early Reading, Reading, Spoken Language and Writing sections for further detail about how this is implemented.