English
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St Ambrose RC Primary School - English Curriculum Intent
“Jesus replied, ‘Scripture says: Human beings live not on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
(Matthew 4:4)
At St Ambrose, we reflect the National Curriculum aims to:
- To have a high-quality education that will teach children to speak, write, listen and read fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, Reading allows pupils to develop in a cultural, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual way.
- Children acquire knowledge to build on what they have already learnt.
- All English language skills are essential to participating fully as members of society.
In this subject:
At St Ambrose, we aim to spread the Word of God. We teach children to read, write, and speak well, as these are the skills they will need to make Christ known to the world. We have high expectations for all children’s English ability that we will enable them with skills that will allow them to communicate and express themselves in an ever-changing society.
In English, children have the opportunity to set their own success criteria and challenges. We create opportunities for work to be celebrated, for example, publishing writing, sharing with other classes, and writing to different people and organisations. We work hard to inspire a love of writing. Staff are reading role models who actively promote reading for pleasure, ultimately helping students to become lifelong readers. Through reading a range of high-quality texts with relevant themes, we teach children about social injustice and how it can be overcome. We teach children to be respectful and effective communicators.
Communication skills are taught throughout the whole school curriculum, especially in English, through high-quality texts and themes for writing. In all areas, speaking and listening are key. We pride ourselves on our teaching of Drama. Early reading led by structured synthetic phonics and reading for pleasure are integral to promoting high expectations and standards across the school.
We teach children to debate and write for specific purposes in line with Catholic social teaching. Children write to world, religious and political leaders. Drama links to SMSC's big questions related to many themes, including tolerance, injustice and leadership. Big questions contextualise SMSC in many areas of the curriculum and English; through texts, drama, and social aspects of stories teaching ideas related to British Values. Resilience, respect and teamwork are transferrable skills which are taught and applied across the curriculum through strong listening skills and clarity in communication.
In God's family, we grow and learn in love, hope and faith.
St Ambrose Stories at Bedtime
Click on the links below to access a story
The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside
Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Monkey Puzzle by Julia Donaldson
Oi Frog! by Kes Grey and Jim Field
I Want my Hat Back by Jon Klassen
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
Five Minutes Peace by Jill Murphy
Twelve Dancing Princesses by The Brothers Grimm, Retold by Suzanna Davidson
The Tiger who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
Cottonwool Colin by Jeanne Willis
The Great Fairytale Disaster by David Conwey and Melanie Williamson
The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield
The Sulky Vulture by Sally Grindley
Duck in a Truck by Jez Alborough
Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Sally's Secret by Shirley Hughes
There's a Monster in your Book by Tom Fletcher
The Great Big Book of Feelings by Mary Hoffman
The Lion and the Unicorn by Shirley Hughes
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Dodd
The Go Away Bird by Julia Donaldson
Tyrannosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson
Mog and the Vee Ee Tee by Judith Kerr
How Many Legs by Kes Gray and Jim Field
A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson
Charlie Cook's Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson
The Detective Dog by Julia Donaldson
Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

For Read Write Inc Reading books, click on the Reading Books file at the bottom of the page.
Read Write Inc.
Click here to access YouTube Speed Sounds lessons to practice at home.
This video explains how we teach children to read and write using the Read Write Inc. programme and how you can support your child at home:
My BookBlog in Years 2-6
'My BB' is a fantastic online resource to encourage children to read for pleasure. Our children are supported to choose one of our brand new books at their level using the blurbs, book trailers and reviews of other children. My BB supports the children through the book, enabling them to complete blogs, quizzes and collect jokes and cards. Every child from Y2 upwards has their own password and can log on at home through the link below.
mybookblog.org/plogin/st-ambrose-rc-primar/
Here are some examples of our interactive displays, from Early Years to Year 6:
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Top Tips on how to hear your child read at home
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/advice-for-parents/reading-at-home/starting-to-read-ages-4-5/
Are you looking for a present to buy your child? Buy a book! Click here for a list of recommended reads for each age group.