Cedarwood Primary School

We recognise the power that reading has in enabling pupils to acquire knowledge and build on what they already know, as well as its benefits to wider personal development. We therefore aim to develop confident, competent readers and seek to inspire in our pupils a life-long love of reading.

Through speaking, listening, reading and writing, pupils have the chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development and we aim to introduce pupils to rich texts that capture their interests and inspire creativity.

Implementation

Spoken language

The National Curriculum for English reflects the importance of spoken language in pupils’ development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically. Spoken language underpins the development of reading and writing. The quality and variety of language that pupils hear and speak are vital for developing their vocabulary and grammar and their understanding for reading and writing.

We follow the National Curriculum for English and have the following aims for the subject as a whole:

The National Curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both 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

In addition, we have the following aims for our pupils, in Speaking and Listening:

Pupils are taught to:

• listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers
• ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge
• use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary
• articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
• give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings
• maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments
• use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
• speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English
• participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates
• gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)
• consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others
• select and use appropriate registers for effective communication

We promote positive speaking and listening attitudes and behaviour from Foundation and support pupils' development through the use of our own clear speech and encouraging answers in clear full sentences. Pupils are encouraged to play with, explore, and enjoy words through songs, rhymes, poetry, role-play, drama and stories.

Their vocabulary is consciously grown and developed in order to build a growing bank of language that they understand and can use in all forms of communication. Words are taught using the Three Tier Vocabulary Model, includes basic words, commonly used in spoken language, high-frequency words used across a range of areas and topics and content-specific technical vocabulary.

Pupils are given a range of opportunities to build their expertise and confidence in speaking and listening, from talking about topics that are familiar to them to performing in front of different audiences. Pupils progress in confidence and competence from ‘Show and Tell’ sessions in Foundation and regular ‘Spotlight Sessions’ in Key Stage 1 and 2, to significant roles in school plays and performances in the community.

Impact

In a safe and encouraging environment, children develop into confident communicators who illuminate the goodness in each other by listening and speaking with kindness, empathy and clarity. Speaking and listening lies at the heart of conveying character, and through speaking and listening effectively, misunderstandings can be addressed and relationships enhanced. It is our aim, that by the end of their time in our school, our pupils are excellent communicators, who interact positively with others in a way that positively shapes their lives.