At St. Andrew the Apostle, we adhere to the National Curriculum’s principles for developing pupil’s spoken language.
The national curriculum for English reflects the importance of spoken language in pupils’ development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically. Spoken language underpins the development of reading and writing. The quality and variety of language that pupils hear and speak are vital for developing their vocabulary and grammar and their understanding for reading and writing. Teachers should therefore ensure the continual development of pupils’ confidence and competence in spoken language and listening skills.
In school, pupils will develop a capacity to explain their understanding of books and other reading, and to prepare their ideas before they write. Pupils are assisted in making their thinking clear to themselves as well as to others and teachers will ensure that pupils build secure foundations by using discussion to probe and remedy any misconceptions. Pupils will also be taught to understand and use the conventions for discussion and debate. Pupils will gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. They will receive opportunities to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role. Pupils will have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre performances.
At St. Andrew the Apostle pupils will be taught to:
- listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers
- ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge
- use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary
- articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
- give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings
- maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments
- use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
- speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English
- participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates
- gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)
- consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the
- contributions of others
- select and use appropriate registers for effective communication.
Skills of spoken language will be taught at a level appropriate to the age of the pupils. Pupils will build upon the oral language skills that have been taught in preceding years. Pupils will be taught to develop their competence in spoken language and listening to enhance the effectiveness with which they are able to communicate across a range of contexts and to a range of audiences. They will therefore have opportunities to work in groups of different sizes – in pairs, small groups, large groups and as a whole class.
Opportunities to develop spoken language at St. Andrew the Apostle:
In St. Andrew the Apostle our curriculum provision highlights the importance of spoken language as a tool for all other learning.
- Exploratory play
- Partner talk and collaborative work
- Reciting and reading aloud – class poetry performances
- Re-telling, role-play and drama activities that enliven and enrich children’s understanding of character, such as hot seating and conscience alley activities
- Listening to and participating in stories, rhymes and songs
- Performance poetry and plays
- Discussing a range of diverse and cultural texts through Power of Reading texts
- Vocabulary lessons and use of sentence stems/ sentence starters
- Orally rehearsing ideas for writing – linked to the Write Stuff
- Circle times
- Class discussions
- Class debates
- Class assemblies
- Class masses
- Christmas nativities (Reception/Y1 and Y2)
- Christmas concerts (KS2)
- Easter Alive Experience
- St. Andrew’s Day mass or assembly
- Worship Warriors, Buddies, School Council, Green Knights, Reading Ambassadors – Pupil Leadership Team
- Harvest, Easter, Lent and Christmas assemblies or services
- Year 6 productions
- Collective Worship across school
- Showing visitors around school
- Pupil council elections
Pupils will develop their understanding of how to take turns and when and how to participate constructively in conversations and debates. Attention will also be paid to increasing pupils’ vocabulary, ranging from describing their immediate world and feelings to developing a broader, deeper and richer vocabulary to discuss abstract concepts and a wider range of topics, and to enhancing their knowledge about language. Pupils will receive constructive feedback on their spoken language and listening, not only to improve their knowledge and skills but also to establish secure foundations for effective spoken language, helping them to achieve in secondary education and beyond. At St. Andrew the Apostle we will prepare pupils to become articulate, confident speakers facilitating their transition into the workforce of the wider world.
