Our vision for English:
At Hawes Side Academy, we aim for all children to become competent speakers, linguists, readers, and writers to enable them to become lifelong learners and be adequately prepared to succeed in their future workplace.
Whilst learning at Hawes Side Academy, we strive to provide opportunities for all children to learn to read and write fluently and independently. The result is that the children can access all areas of the curriculum and support them in becoming well-rounded individuals. The English curriculum is also, at times, a vehicle to providing children with opportunities to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially, and spiritually.
When children leave Hawes Side Academy, we wish for them to be skilled and competent readers and writers with an individual style in literacy, so that they are ready for the next stage in their education.
At Hawes Side Academy, we believe language is a powerful tool for connection, expression, and learning. Our goal is for every child to become a confident speaker, listener, reader, and writer, ready to grow into empathetic, well-rounded global citizens.
We know that English is key to a child’s development. Our curriculum helps children read and write fluently, giving them the skills to access all areas of learning and succeed as creative, reflective individuals.
Aligned with our school mission to promote community, learning, and creativity, English helps children explore their identity, connect with others, and grow in all areas of life. Our teaching fosters curiosity, a love of literature, and each child’s unique voice.
When children leave Hawes Side Academy, we want them to be confident language users, with a strong foundation in literacy and the ability to communicate effectively in the world with opportunities to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially, and spiritually.
Our approach to English:
At Hawes Side Academy, we use Success for All (SfA) as a strategic approach to planning our English lessons. This is a whole school approach to improving English outcomes for the children at our school and is an approach that is driven by cooperative learning.
The teaching of reading, writing and oracy skills are intertwined within our daily English lessons, which culminates in the children’s final published piece or performance. We use a wide range of literature, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry to provide well thought out structured teaching that will support the children discussing texts.
Throughout the curriculum, children can also develop their listening skills, articulating their thought processes and increase their range of vocabulary. Additionally, pupils are taught to orally summarise and rephrase, which builds on their writing and comprehension skills. In conjunction with this, time is given to support oracy skills that set children up for success in life.
Our approach is more than just reading and writing; we embed effective and cooperative learning behaviours and positively support and celebrate pupil engagement.
At Hawes Side Academy, we use the Success for All (SfA) programme as the strategic foundation for our English curriculum. SfA is a whole-school approach designed to raise English outcomes through structured, cooperative learning. Central to this approach is the integration of reading, writing, and oracy, which are interwoven into daily lessons and culminate in a final published piece or performance by each child.
We carefully select a diverse range of high-quality texts—including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry—to support rich discussions and structured learning experiences. Children are encouraged to articulate their thinking, develop active listening skills, and expand their vocabulary. They also learn to summarise and rephrase ideas orally, strengthening both their comprehension and writing abilities.
Beyond literacy, our curriculum promotes lifelong success by explicitly teaching oracy and embedding cooperative learning behaviours. This inclusive and supportive environment fosters engagement, builds confidence, and celebrates the achievements of every pupil.