St Michael’s Preparatory School,
Jersey
English Department Policy Document
PHILOSOPHY
In the English Department we aim to:-
· instill a love of reading and writing
· enable children to write accurately and grammatically
· develop confidence in the spoken word.
English is taught daily to all children. The Pre-Prep and Junior Departments (R-Y4) follow the Literacy Strategy. In the Pre-Prep and Junior Departments (R-Y4) the length of lessons vary but the overall time allocated to English is in excess of the National recommendation. In the Senior School the lessons vary from 40 minutes to one hour. Form 3 (Y5) has six lessons a week. Prep is set regularly. In Pre-Prep B and C weekly spelling is set. In Pre-Prep A spellings are set on a discretionary basis in accordance to ability. Forms 1 and 2 (Y3,4) set a minimum of two English preps each week, one of which is based on a phonics lesson. Form 3 (Y5) have two preps a week, Forms 4 and 5 (Y6,7) have a weekly written prep and Form 6 (Y8) have two written preps.
The National Curriculum and the National Literacy Strategy are followed in the Pre-Prep and Junior Departments (YR-4) and Forms 3 and 4 (Y5,6). Children take optional SATs in the appropriate years. In Forms 5 and 6 (Y7,8) the Common Entrance syllabus is followed and children are prepared for two papers: paper1, a reading paper and paper 2, a writing paper.
STAFFING
In the Pre-Prep and Junior Departments (R-Y4) the class teacher teaches English with support from the teaching assistants and the Special Needs department. Forms 3 to 6 (Y5-8) are taught English by specialist teachers. There are three members of the department and each teacher has some commitment to a subject other than English.
In the Pre-Prep and Junior Departments (R-Y4) English is taught in mixed ability groups with support from the Special Needs department. In Pre-Prep C, Forms 1-2 a phonics lesson is taught in sets according to ability. In Forms 3 – 6 (Y5-8) English is taught in sets that are decided at the beginning of the academic year. There is a little movement between sets during the year if desirable.
A wide range of teaching methods is used throughout the school. Different strategies are used where appropriate. Oral work which is evident as part of most lessons is considered to be important. However, the aim is to include original writing on a weekly basis.
In the Pre-Prep and Junior Departments (R-Y4) English is taught in the form rooms. In the Senior School each teacher of English has his/her own teaching base and the children move to this for their lessons. Each teacher arranges his/her own room to suit the nature of the lesson. Each teacher is responsible for his/her own wall display.
Reading: Teachers in the Pre-Prep and Junior
Departments (R-Y4) use ‘shared reading’ from a variety of sources. Staff in the Pre-Prep and Junior
Departments (R-Y4) aim to hear all children
read as often as possible, trying to ensure the weaker ones are heard daily. A graded reading scheme has been developed
to ensure progression from Pre-Prep A to Form 2 (R-Y4). This is constantly updated and
reviewed. The reading books are kept in
the classrooms where they will be most used.
There is a reading diary for parents to communicate to the class teacher
about progress made in Pre-Prep A and B (R,Y1). Above this each child has a reading record card system. These books are varied in order to give a
cross section of different reading material from fiction to non-fiction. The children change these books as
required. In Forms 3 to 6 (Y5-8) the
class reader is an important part of each year’s syllabus.
Comprehension: In Forms 1 and 2 and PP1-2, one lesson of
comprehension is taught per week. SRA is also integrated in to the
curriculum. In Forms 3-6 comprehension
skills are taught each week. The 6th Form tackle past papers in
class and as weekend prep at home. Forms 3-6 have a bi-weekly comprehension
test.
Speaking and Listening: Staff are aware of the cross-curricular elements of speaking and listening and class discussion takes place through the curriculum. All children are encouraged to speak and listen to each other.
Spelling: Pre-Prep B and C to Form 2 (Y1-4) use a support teacher to provide differentiation and help for individual pupils. A variety of spelling schemes are used. English prep does include spelling. Forms 3 to 5 (Y5-7) have weekly spelling tests using the Brodie scheme. These booklets emphasise word families and offer each child the opportunity to use the words in context. Spelling homework is given to the ‘A’s in accordance with their ability.
Drama: Every child in the school performs in a Drama based activity. These performances include Christmas plays in front of parents and class assemblies. Forms 3 to 6 (Y5-8) have one hour of timetabled drama each week. Drama is also used to enhance English lessons. In addition to this all pupils are familiarised with the reading and writing of drama scripts. Forms 5 and 6 perform a musical production at the end of each academic year.
We follow the school marking policy which can be found in the Staff Manual. Work is marked as quickly and as thoroughly as possible and work returned within twenty-four hours of receiving it. We believe that the quality of marking is an important part of teaching and a way of communicating with each child individually. Comments or advice given by staff at the end of a piece of work are constructive. All Pre-Prep work is marked with the child for instant feedback.
The department is well resourced. In the Senior School (Y5-8), stocks are spread between three classrooms and an additional special needs teaching room. Much of the stock is stored in the English office although a central resource centre or room would be preferable. A television with DVD and video facilities is available to each class throughout the school.
The department has a range of videos and DVDs which do not form a central part of teaching. However, where a film has been made of a class reader (for example ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’) the children are shown it. The department has recently purchased a collection of DVD’s as support for the Common Entrance literature syllabus.
Library
Both libraries are seen as a whole school resource to actively promote the love of reading and become independent users of information. The non- fiction book collection directly reflects the whole curriculum and directly correlates to schemes/topics of work covered by the various year groups. Fiction books in both libraries are colour coded but only to assist children in choosing books. The ranges within each section encompass the varying abilities and interests of the children. This is re evaluated regularly and new stock is always being added. In the senior library all students are able to choose any books { excluding orange Form 6}. Again these are colour code only to provide a monitoring tool for staff members.
Junior Library Colour Code.
Blue: PPB and PPC New and emergent readers
Yellow: Form 1 and 2 Emergent and newly confident
Yellow* Form ! and 2 Higher interest lower ability.
Teacher assessment takes place daily based on evidence from oral and written work and prep.
We follow the school’s pattern of assessment as outlined in the staff manual.
In October of each year each child in Forms 3 to 6 (Y5-8) is given a test to determine reading and spelling age. We use the BSTS spelling tests and the Nelson reading tests. Where there is concern they are considered for individual tuition.
In addition to the above formal assessment children are given regular practice in past papers, especially those children in Form 6 (Y8). Weekly preps are a further way of assessing children’s progress.
The class teacher keeps spelling and reading ages for Pre-Prep B to Form 2 (Y1-4). In Forms 3 to 6 (Y5-8), the reading and spelling ages are kept by the head of Special Needs. Assessment and examination grades are recorded on centralised sheets. Staff keep a copy of these marks and grades in a personal planner for their own records.
We follow the school’s reporting policy. Written reports are produced giving a general report of the work covered by the group and a report detailing the specific progress of each child. For the Senior School (Y5-8) a mark and grade are also given on this report. Staff attend parents’ evenings to discuss children’s progress. Each child in Forms 1 and 2 receive a yearly report at the end of the academic year. This report displays a percentage and no grade.
In the Pre-Prep and Junior Departments (R-Y4) this is managed either by setting differentiated tasks or by group work. This is particularly evident with comprehension work and spelling. Furthermore, a small group is removed from the class on a regular basis for extra help. Throughout the school differentiation occurs largely by outcome. In the Senior School (Y5-8) each year group is divided into sets and the top set is expected to cover more work and to tackle more demanding assignments. This is monitored in weekly department meetings. Some pupils are given individual tuition in addition to their regular lessons. This extra tuition takes place in non-academic time.
CROSS-CURRICULAR LINKS
We recognise that literacy is important across the whole range of subjects and the skills children acquire in English should all be used when doing written work in other subjects. We expect the children to produce the same technical standard of English written work in any subject. We request that other members of staff correct spelling mistakes in written work.
The pupils use computers in the English classrooms and in the ICT room. The computers are used mainly for typing up creative writing although occasionally specific web sites are used. We are currently looking in to efficient and productive internet use. Children are encouraged to use home word processors to print their work and in weekly ICT lessons they will often word process English work. The Pre-Prep and Junior departments use a variety of programs to support the English curriculum.