Ofsted has today published a subject report looking at how
English is being taught in England’s schools.
The report draws on evidence from subject visits to a sample of
primary and secondary schools.
Read the ‘Telling the story: the
English education subject report’.
The teaching of reading in schools has improved significantly
since the introduction of the phonics screening check, the report
finds. Schools have successfully invested in phonics programmes
and training so that teachers know how to teach pupils to read.
However, when pupils enter key stages 2 and 3 unable to read
fluently, they are not always supported well enough to be able to
catch up quickly.
The curriculums for written and spoken language are less
effective. Schools understand that spoken language underpins
pupils’ reading and writing. However, many schools are not always
sure how to teach spoken language in a way that helps pupils
understand how to confidently express themselves.
The writing curriculum often introduces complex tasks too early
before many pupils are equipped with the knowledge and skills
that underpin these. Primary pupils are not always given
sufficient teaching and practice to gain high degrees of fluency
in spelling and handwriting early enough.
Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver said:
English is a hugely important subject and reading is the gateway
to wider learning. The focus being given to the teaching of
phonics means more children are leaving primary school able to
read. Although there is more work to be done to improve
children’s writing and language comprehension.
I hope our English report will help schools in developing their
curriculum for writing and spoken language.
The report had a number of recommendations including:
- making sure that the national curriculum requirements for
spoken language are translated into practice, so that pupils
learn how to become competent speakers. This should include
opportunities to teach the conventions of spoken language, for
example how to present, to debate and to explain their thinking
- encouraging pupils to read a wide range of books once they
are fluent readers, so they build a reading habit
- helping those pupils who enter key stages 2 or 3 unable to
read fluently to catch up quickly. This includes making sure that
teaching addresses specific gaps in pupils’ phonics knowledge or
provides additional practice for pupils who have accurate
knowledge, but read too slowly to absorb information effectively
- ensuring that teachers have high-quality professional
development in English literature and language with time to
develop subject knowledge beyond exam specifications
- ensuring that statutory tests and exams do not
disproportionately influence decisions about curriculum and
pedagogy
- making sure that the curriculum takes full account of the
foundational knowledge and skills that pupils need in reading,
writing and spoken language to carry out more complex tasks and
providing them opportunities to practise these key components