Burnham-On-Sea Infant School

'Nurturing Minds, Growing Potential, Enriching Futures'

Voice 21 Curriculum Lead:

 Dawn Warren

Voice 21 Champion:

 Nic Blain

Writing Curriculum Lead:

 Nic Blain

'The power of imagination makes us infinite’ 

John Muir 

We aim for our children to be enthused about reading and writing and to develop a life-long love of literature.

We believe the development of language underpins children's achievement across the curriculum and lays the foundations for active involvement in cultural life, society, work and lifelong learning.

At Burnham on Sea Infant School, English and communication and language sit at the heart of the curriculum, engaging children to imagine, think, create and make a crucial contribution to children's development as successful learners. We believe the breadth and depth of literature used across our curriculum helps children to reveal their imagination, see the world through the eyes of others and read and write for pleasure. We recognise the importance of building foundational oracy and writing skills in EYFS and KS1.

We teach our children to become increasingly fluent and accurate in expressing their thoughts and emotions, orally and in writing.  Throughout the curriculum, children become more skilled at generating ideas, thinking critically and creatively. 

Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language. In school, oracy is a powerful tool for learning; by teaching students to become more effective speakers and listeners we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them. It is also a route to social mobility, empowering all students, not just some, to find their voice to succeed in school and life. 

From September 2024 we are undertaking a three year oracy development project through Voice 21.

We follow the National Curriculum for English. Reading at Burnham on Sea Infant School is intrinsically linked to writing and wider English skills, and is woven into the fabric of our full English curriculum. Our texts have been carefully selected to offer children an exposure to a broad and rich world of literature, drawing on cultures from around the world and supporting deep discussions that enable our children to grow into global citizens, whilst also becoming successful readers, writers and speakers.

At Burnham on Sea Infant School, we believe every child is an author and understand that developing a love for writing, and a life-long engagement with books and wider literature, is essential for each child to achieve across all aspects of the curriculum. We believe writing expresses thoughts and breaths creativity, allowing our children to make their mark and for their voices to be heard.

We promote a positive ethos, where children are able to develop their love of literacy and literature through being given many opportunities to write across the curriculum and apply taught skills in a nurturing and safe environment.

In order to develop as writers, children need:
• inspirational teachers who are writers

• experience of a wide range of texts

• opportunities to talk about what they write before, during and after writing

• experience of writing for a range of purposes

High-quality texts form the spine of our writing curriculum, allowing learners to access models of excellence whilst developing their own style of writing. We aim to model and immerse children in different styles of writing, including a wide range of vocabulary, rhythmic patterns and figurative language.

Through literature, children from our demographic are taught about cultures from around the world; broadening their horizons from their locality, and our wider coverage is selected with this diversity in gender and culture deeply rooted at its heart.

We know that children who read, and are read to by others, achieve significantly improved outcomes and that is why reading at Berrow is intrinsically linked to writing and wider English skills. Reading and writing are intertwined and are woven into the fabric of our English curriculum.