At Grove House we intend that our pupils will.......

develop the love of reading, writing and discussion so they can communicate effectively in order to enrich life experiences. 

The English curriculum has been planned to prepare pupils for the next stage of education and to ensure they are equipped with the skills to prepare them for adulthood and to communicate effectively, both formally and informally, orally and in written forms.   Broadly based on the National Curriculum, but adapted to meet the needs of all our learners with Speech and Language difficulties, English is studied throughout Key Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5.  Students have 5 lessons of English a week with additional dedicated reading slots built into the timetable for all classes/stages.  Within the subject and across all stages, pupils experience a wide range of genres and materials, including non-fiction, fiction, and a broad range of literature covering poetry, fiction, film, plays and classic texts.

Speaking and listening opportunities are maximised in order to develop pupils’ ability to use language to convey ideas.  They present in class and whole school assemblies, class discussions and debates and develop this further through drama and specific whole-class therapy sessions.  Throughout, the careful use of questioning is used and supported by the SALT team to maximise opportunities, stretch children’s thinking and their understanding of the materials they read.

The development of language and literacy skills is a priority across all curriculum areas.  Curriculum vocabulary is a focus in specific Language Skills sessions led by Speech and Language Therapists, as is working on sentence structure, grammar and narrative.  Throughout the school we develop students’ phonic and word-reading skills, vocabulary, comprehension, inference and deduction.  The Sound Discovery phonics programme is used within the school, as appropriate.

Progress is tracked in English throughout the school using B Squared Progression Steps.  Standardised reading and spelling tests are also undertaken annually.  A range of accreditations are available to students from Entry Levels (both coursework and formal assessment based), through Functional Skills Levels to iGCSE English Language.