ENGLISH at Marsh Gibbon CE School
English at Marsh Gibbon CE School
Our School Vision
"Succeeding together — fostering a love of learning within a nurturing Christian community, to bring out ‘the best in everyone’."
Rooted in Philippians 4:13—"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"—our aim is for every child to become confident, curious, and reflective communicators. Guided by our Christian values of love, friendship, compassion, honesty, forgiveness, and respect, we believe language is a powerful tool to explore and understand the world around us.
Join us on this exciting journey where every child’s voice is valued, and their love of language grows—living out our Christian values and inspiring future readers, writers, and thinkers!
Our Intent
At Marsh Gibbon, our ambitious English curriculum is built around high-quality texts that inspire a love of reading and writing. Using the mirrors, windows, and doors analogy, our teaching helps children to:
Implementation
Impact
Our School Vision
"Succeeding together — fostering a love of learning within a nurturing Christian community, to bring out ‘the best in everyone’."
Rooted in Philippians 4:13—"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"—our aim is for every child to become confident, curious, and reflective communicators. Guided by our Christian values of love, friendship, compassion, honesty, forgiveness, and respect, we believe language is a powerful tool to explore and understand the world around us.
Join us on this exciting journey where every child’s voice is valued, and their love of language grows—living out our Christian values and inspiring future readers, writers, and thinkers!
Our Intent
At Marsh Gibbon, our ambitious English curriculum is built around high-quality texts that inspire a love of reading and writing. Using the mirrors, windows, and doors analogy, our teaching helps children to:
- Mirrors: See reflections of their own experiences, identities, and feelings through stories and writing.
- Windows: Gain understanding of different cultures, perspectives, and ways of life through diverse texts.
- Doors: Explore new vocabulary, genres, and ideas, opening pathways to creativity, critical thinking, and lifelong learning.
Implementation
- Reading: In EYFS and Year 1, daily phonics sessions using Rocket Phonics help children develop fluency and inference skills. As they progress, focus shifts to comprehension, understanding authorial intent, and analysing language, punctuation, and grammar. Every class enjoys guided reading, a class novel, and access to a well-stocked library to promote reading for pleasure.
- Writing: Our writing is rooted in high-quality texts that introduce rich vocabulary. Children explore language features, genres, and styles through engaging ‘learning journeys’—from reading to planning, drafting, editing, and sharing their work. Opportunities for creative writing and self-expression are everywhere in our classrooms.
- Vocabulary & Language: We teach tier 2 and 3 vocabulary explicitly, ensuring children develop a rich language bank to express themselves confidently.
- Cross-Curricular Links: Reading and writing are linked to history, geography, and other subjects to deepen understanding and relevance.
Impact
- Pupils develop a love of reading and writing, deepening their understanding of the world and their ability to question and reflect.
- Children will meet or exceed national expectations, with many working at Greater Depth.
- Pupil premium children make good progress, narrowing gaps and gaining confidence in their literacy skills.
- Pupils leave equipped with a broad cultural capital, critical thinking skills, and a lifelong love of learning—ready to explore, question, and contribute positively to society.
OUR CURRICULUM PLANS
To view the objectives in the new curriculum, please click on the links below:
Year 1 Objectives
Year 2 Objectives
Year 3 & Year 4 Objectives
Year 5 & Year 6 Objectives
Year 1 Objectives
Year 2 Objectives
Year 3 & Year 4 Objectives
Year 5 & Year 6 Objectives
Reading & Phonics
Reading at Marsh Gibbon CE School
Our School Vision
"Succeeding together — fostering a love of learning within a nurturing Christian community, to bring out ‘the best in everyone’."
Rooted in Philippians 4:13—"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"—we believe that cultivating a culture of reading opens doors to lifelong learning, empathy, and personal growth. Guided by our Christian values of love, friendship, compassion, honesty, forgiveness, and respect, we encourage children to explore the world through stories and texts, enriching their understanding and shaping their character.
Join us in creating a vibrant reading community where every book opens a new door, every story reflects a mirror, and every child’s imagination soars—living out our Christian values and inspiring a love of literature that lasts a lifetime!
Intent
We believe that reading is a vital tool for life chances and personal development. Our aim is to foster a deep love of reading that extends beyond the classroom, inspiring curiosity, imagination, and a thirst for knowledge. Using the mirrors, windows, and doors analogy, our reading culture helps children to:
Implementation
Impact
Our School Vision
"Succeeding together — fostering a love of learning within a nurturing Christian community, to bring out ‘the best in everyone’."
Rooted in Philippians 4:13—"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"—we believe that cultivating a culture of reading opens doors to lifelong learning, empathy, and personal growth. Guided by our Christian values of love, friendship, compassion, honesty, forgiveness, and respect, we encourage children to explore the world through stories and texts, enriching their understanding and shaping their character.
Join us in creating a vibrant reading community where every book opens a new door, every story reflects a mirror, and every child’s imagination soars—living out our Christian values and inspiring a love of literature that lasts a lifetime!
Intent
We believe that reading is a vital tool for life chances and personal development. Our aim is to foster a deep love of reading that extends beyond the classroom, inspiring curiosity, imagination, and a thirst for knowledge. Using the mirrors, windows, and doors analogy, our reading culture helps children to:
- Mirrors: See reflections of their own experiences, feelings, and identities in stories.
- Windows: Gain insight into different cultures, communities, and perspectives from around the world.
- Doors: Open pathways to new ideas, worlds, and understanding—fueling their curiosity and passion for learning.
Implementation
- Rich and Varied Reading Experiences: Children are exposed to a wide range of texts, including culturally diverse stories, non-fiction, poetry, and classic literature.
- Reading for Pleasure: Every class has a dedicated reading corner, a well-stocked library, and regular reading sessions to nurture a love of books.
- Phonics & Comprehension: In EYFS and KS1, daily phonics support decoding skills, while in KS2, focus shifts to developing inference, understanding author intent, and deeper comprehension.
- Guided Reading & Independent Reading: Regular guided sessions help develop fluency and understanding, alongside opportunities for children to choose books that interest them.
- Building Curiosity: Children are encouraged to ask questions about texts, explore new genres, and discuss their reading with peers and adults.
Impact
- Children develop a genuine passion for reading, reading widely and independently beyond the classroom.
- They build confidence in understanding and analysing texts, becoming thoughtful and informed individuals.
- Pupils’ vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking skills grow, supporting progress across the curriculum.
- A culture of reading promotes empathy, cultural awareness, and a lifelong curiosity about the world.
- All children, regardless of background, have equal opportunities to become lifelong readers and explorers of knowledge.
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Phonics
In order to develop the secure decoding skills and phonic knowledge required for reading, our EYFS and Key Stage 1 children receive a daily phonics lesson. We use the Rocket Planet Synthetic Phonics programme to deliver our phonics curriculum. It sets out a detailed and systematic programme for teaching phonics for infant aged pupils, with the aim of children becoming fluent decoders by the age of seven. In Year 1 the children complete the statutory Year 1 Phonics Screening Check. This is a short 1:1 assessment which confirms whether individual children have acquired the necessary phonic decoding skills to an appropriate standard. It also identifies those children who need extra support to improve their reading decoding skills. These children will then be able to retake the check in Year 2. Mrs. Blane shared a Power Point Presentation with parents which went into detail about our Phonics Scheme, how children learn Phonics and how parents can support at home. Here is the PowerPoint if you missed the meeting. 
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Reading Skills
At Marsh Gibbon, we aim to develop children's word reading and reading comprehension skills in tandem through the explicit teaching of reading skills. Children need to be aware of the reading skills they are using in order to give them a greater understanding of what makes a well-rounded reader. At Marsh Gibbon, these skills are known as VIPERS. Vocabulary Inference Predict Explain Retrieve Sequence or summarise |
Key Stage 1 National Assessments in Reading [SATS]
At the end of Key Stage 1, in Year 2, teachers assess children's reading against national criteria. By the end of Year 2, most children will be reading with a high degree of fluency. The reading assessment focuses on children's reading comprehension skills, and understanding of what they read. Reading in Key Stage 2 [Years 3 to 6] By Key Stage 2, most children have acquired the fluency to access a wider variety of reading material. Throughout Key Stage 2 children will have the opportunity to take home a "reading skills" book from our reading scheme, and a colour banded "reading choice" book from the library. The library is well stocked with a varied range of high quality fiction from renowned children's authors as well as wide variety of non fiction texts. The literature has been banded to reflect the complexity of the text and the maturity required from the reader. A child who is a good decoder, with a large sight vocabulary is not necessarily a good well rounded reader. It is vital that parents engage in discussion with their children to ensure they have a true understanding of the text. Many children in Key Stage 2 will be able to read independently. However, they are still encouraged to read regularly to staff in school and adults at home. This reading continues to be recorded in the child's reading diary. Children are also invited to record in their own reading diaries. In Key Stage 2, group guided reading sessions are replaced by whole class guided reading lessons. This enables teachers to explicitly teach higher order reading comprehension skills and pupils to closely analyse texts for meaning, using their VIPERS skills. Lessons focus on examining chapters and passages from class texts as well as shorter excerpts from a range of genres. Children in Key Stage 2, still requiring support with decoding and reading fluency, will receive additional 1:1 and small group work to develop these vital skills. Throughout the school, reading is embedded across the curriculum and children are given the opportunity to read widely across different subjects. We make opportunities to read to the children so that they can appreciate and enjoy literature together. |
