Intent
At Melton our curriculum has been devised for Melton children. Our children are taught a highly stimulating curriculum which embraces the historical and geographical features of the local area whilst developing and strengthening literacy knowledge and skills. It is our intention that all Melton pupils, regardless of need, develop into confident and passionate readers and writers that will enable them to foster a lifelong love of learning.
We believe that successful readers become successful learners!
Implementation
Our curriculum is driven by key high quality texts which engage and excite our pupils. Through our class texts, English skills are developed across the curriculum in a seamless and purposeful approach to learning. We provide a range of opportunities to support this by:
- Fostering enjoyment in reading
- Exploring what has been read so that children understand in depth
- Exploring, apply and developing writing skills
- Giving children the opportunity to improve their written work
- Encouraging creativity and imagination
- Analysing their work and the work of others
We choose texts that challenge and deepen our children’s thinking; giving them the skills and opportunities to further expand their language and vocabulary skills. Developing pupils understanding and use of vocabulary is key to our curriculum design. Word walls are used in all classrooms as a way of promoting, encouraging and expanding our children’s breath of language. Our pupils understand, use and apply new vocabulary to make sense of what they read and to add detail to what they write.
Phonics is integral to our Early Years and Key Stage 1 curriculum. Our pupils learn phoneme-grapheme correspondences from the day they enter their Reception Year and build on this as they move into Year 1. A structured and sequenced approach is implemented to give our youngest pupils, and those who still need it, the skills to decode and to acquire the confidence to tackle new words.
Reading skills are developed daily through fluency and comprehension lessons. Our pupils are given the opportunity to read a range of text types, including poetry and non-fiction, initially modelled by the teacher to develop the skills of accuracy, expression and pace.
Impact
- Our pupils are engaged and talk positively about the texts they are studying.
- Writing is given a purpose and there is a seamless link between English and the wider curriculum.
- Our pupils have a greater understanding of Melton and its place in the wider world
- A higher percentage of pupils are on track to be secure at Phase 5 by the end of Year 1
- Parents give positive feedback about the new curriculum and are keen to learn alongside their children
- Through the Y5/6 trip to Debach Air Field Museum, the children developed their speaking, research and presenting skills
- The pupils in our Early Years used their phonics skills to write letters and ‘report crimes’ after a visit from a policeman.
- Y3 wrote and confidently performed their play scripts based on ‘Stig of the Dump’
- Pupils are eager to further their learning through exciting homework activities
