365 days in my shoes Day 55

New Draft Primary Curriculum

Consultation document February 2013 – http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/n/national%20curriculum%20consultation%20-%20framework%20document.pdf

Draft English KS1 and KS2 December 2012 – http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/d/draft%20national%20curriculum%20for%20english%20key%20stages%201%202.pdf

Thoughts on English for KS1?

It is a subject in its own right and the medium for teaching; for pupils, understanding language provides access to the whole curriculum.

The first consultation question asks for us to comment on the propose aims for the National Curriculum as a whole as set out in the framework.

The new primary English curriculum is set out in year groups – this will need to be planned carefully to avoid teachers simply teaching what is in a year group. Children do not automatically fit the year group and teaching English is not about making children fit a PoS. There could be gaps in learning created if progression in learning is not carefully mapped out.

READING

Although encouraging reading for pleasure is mentioned in the new curriculum, it is still heavily weighted towards phonics and driven by decoding and pronunciation.

There are two programmes of study for reading at KS1 and KS2:-

Word reading
Comprehension (both listening and reading)

WRITING

Again 2 programmes of study:-
Transcription (spelling and handwriting)
Competition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing)

There are two statutory appendices:-
Spelling
Grammar and punctuation

Although the SPaG test will test grammar and punctuation discretely, there is a danger that children will be faced with specific grammar and punctuation teaching as stand alone lessons rather than learning about correct usage through embedding it in their everyday reading and writing. It’s all about making it purposeful and meaningful.

Much will come from high quality speaking and listening – talk for reading and writing.

English is set out in year groups. Single blocks for y1 and y2 to reflect the rapid pace of development in word reading during see two years.
For KS2 the PoS are set out two yearly.

Year 1 English

Before children are bombarded with any synthetic phonics, a love of books, stories and wanting to talk about books etc… is paramount.

Pupils do not need to be taught the terms ‘grapheme’ and ‘phoneme’.

Retelling stories is where children develop greater understanding of the structure and patterns of stories – the retelling is where frame comes to the fore. The non statutory guidance suggests role play can help pupils to identify with and explore characters and to try out the language they have listened to.

Writing – children required to spell the days of the week.

Handwriting – have to be honest, I laughed at the this!!!

When the guidance states that not all Y1 children will have the spelling and handwriting skills to write down everything they can, I worry that children’s writing will become limited by what they can spell etc… We have come a long way from that with Pie Corbett’s Talk for Writing and our children are not restricted by using the words they can spell. Children need to be able to write without worrying bout the spelling and the handwriting.

Again the use of grammar and punctuation seems to limit connectives and conjunctions to ‘and’. We know our children retell stories with Pie’s layered language and that it comes quite naturally to them to put this in their writing.

Year 2

Phonics heavy again in the reading. Children are taught to continue to apply phonic knowledge and skills as the route to decode words until automatic decoding has become embedded and reading is fluent.

Can it all be dependent on phonics??????

Book choice, according to the new framework – read aloud books closely matched to their improving phonic knowledge, sending out unfamiliar words accurately, automatically and without undue hesitation. THEN reread these books!!!
Reading for pleasure!!!!!!

Role play and other drama techniques appear in the non-statutory guidance.

Dictation is back!!!!! Hmmmmmmm…….

Year two grammar mentions the use of noun phrases. If this curriculum is determining higher challenge and standards, year one children can use noun phrases in the retelling of stories etc… Again the connectives section seems quite limiting.

I wonder how schools will respond to the consultation document.

I wonder how schools will map out their English curriculum for key stage 1.

In planning an English curriculum it is important schools do not simply jump on the bandwagon and purchase off the peg schemes that have been developed to match the new curriculum. We mustn’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Since 1998, when the first English curriculum was introduced, there have been many good materials which have ensured a broad and varied progression of learning – grammar for writing is one such material that many schools will be dipping back into with the introduction of SPaG.

There isn’t any such thing as an off the peg/over the counter curriculum. One size does not fit all.

Teachers new to the profession and those who have only ever known teaching with a national curriculum framework, need to understand that teaching is not just simply following the framework to the letter. This is where ‘boxing’ learning into year groups rather than progression of learning, may lead to gaps in skills and understanding.

Link to professional development materials for English released by OFSTED – Primary and Secondary school materials

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/subject-professional-development-materials-english