ENGLISH

AIMS

The teaching of English should foster the ability of pupils to think and to express themselves orally and on paper in accurate and appropriate English.

The National Curriculum identifies three important Attainment Targets viz.

A.T. 1 SPEAKING AND LISTENING
A.T. 2 READING
A.T. 3 WRITING

And every pupil should be encouraged to achieve his/her full potential in all three areas of the Curriculum.

At St Aubyns we aim:

To stimulate and maintain pupils’ interest in, and enjoyment of, English.

To enable every pupil to achieve his/her potential in a variety of tasks and situations, using appropriate resources and skills.

To develop the habit of reading, both for pleasure and as a vital life skill.

To enable pupils to be familiar with a body of knowledge, principles and vocabulary in Standard English.

By allowing pupils to experience a wide range of material, literary and non-literary, to show that English is a major feature of our Culture and part of a wider body of knowledge and skills.

To contribute to every pupil’s personal development viz.

1.    Spiritual Development (opportunities for reflection and self-knowledge)
2.    Moral Development (opportunities for distinguishing right from wrong)
3.    Social Development (opportunities to collaborate and take responsibility)
4.    Cultural Development (opportunities to appreciate their own/other Cultures)

Pupils gain experience, or vicarious experience, which help the process of maturation from intellectual challenge, appropriate to their age and level of ability, through good reading materials, through drama and through writing.To value each pupil and to teach him/her to value himself and others.  In this way, all pupils should have equal access to English, irrespective of gender, ethnic origin or academic ability.  All pupils should approach issues of race, gender and ability with tolerance, insight and empathy.

To allow pupils to develop informed opinions and to be able to support them by reasonable, non-prejudicial arguments.

To stimulate and maintain an appreciation of Literature.

To encourage pupils to understand the way language is used by writers and the mass media and to develop the ability to analyse and evaluate this use of language.

OBJECTIVES

During a course of study, pupils should experience a variety of experiences and activities, including:

1.    listening to and telling stories
2.    working with others
3.    writing in response to a stimulus which may be oral, literary or non-literary
4.    communicating ideas orally or in writing
5.    planning, reviewing, analysing and making notes
6.    reading alone and to others
7.    role play and drama

Clearly, not all of the above will be experienced in a single lesson, although a lesson may well include several of the above.

Pupils should learn the following skills:

1.     To write and speak accurately, clearly, confidently and fluently, in an appropriate style, in a given context, with a clear sense of audience and purpose
2.     To listen carefully both to oral instructions and to oral stimulus material
3.     To read carefully both written instructions and written stimulus material
4.     To use inference and deduction in an imaginative response to a stimulus.

There should be opportunities for individual/pair/group/whole class learning, as appropriate, during a course of study.  Clearly, not all of the above will be experienced in every lesson, although a lesson may well include more than one of the above organisational strategies.
There may well be opportunities for cross-curricular work, the use of  I.C.T. facilities and work done over a period of time e.g. project work involving research and/or work on a particular topic

Pupils should be encouraged to share their experiences and culture with others

Pupils will at different times experience stimulus material from:

1.      Different times and cultures
2.      Different writers past and present
3.      Stories, Myths and Legends from different cultures
4.      Literary and non-literary sources

Pupils should be given opportunities for group discussion, role play and debate, so that they can listen to, reflect upon and empathise with the views of others.

READING

In addition to reading during English lessons, one hour per week (a 15 minute period on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, plus additional time on non-Chapel Fridays) is available for private reading, together with an additional 30 minutes on Wednesday afternoons for those not in Matches.  Form Tutors are responsible for the Reading period, with the assistance of other designated Staff. All children should be listened to as often as possible.  Reading aloud is also a fundamental skill in English and all children in Years 7 & 8 are offered the opportunity to read aloud in Chapel.

SPELLING

Good spelling is important in writing and all teachers will want to encourage accurate spelling.  Pupils should understand how spelling is marked, what corrections, if any, are required and how they should be done.  It is the responsibility of the English Department, with the support of the Learning Plus and E.A.L. Staff, to teach and reinforce spelling patterns and rules and to enrich the vocabulary of the pupils.  Some spellings are subject-specific and colleagues teaching other subjects may well want to reinforce accurate spelling in their subject.