Medway's Vision for English

Medway Community Primary School’s English curriculum focusses on the core skills of oracy, reading and writing.
Oracy is recognised as being at the heart of all teaching and learning throughout this school. This focus ensures that children develop the knowledge, skills and experiences needed to have the confidence in the power of their own voice; thus, they go forth to make meaningful changes to their own lives, and as a collective, within society. It enables them to access the wider curriculum through discussion and collaboration.

As a school, we ensure that all children learn to read so that they can choose to read.  We recognise that children who choose to read become readers for life. Through reading we reinforce our values; encourage friendship; support mental well-being through revisiting books and investigating difficult themes; develop empathy and realise that future paths are not pre-set.
When teaching English we use a range of carefully chosen texts to provide a basis for work, both in English and in other areas of the curriculum. These texts have been carefully chosen for their richness of theme, language and connections with the wider curriculum.

The oracy driven, collaborative approach to reading helps to develop the children’s writing. There are clear purposes for writing which draw upon the children’s oracy and reading. The teaching of writing clearly follows the progression maps which ensure the coverage of concepts. There are high expectations of the outcomes produced and an understanding of the clear links with the levels of oracy within the school.