English
Intent
At St James Academy, we believe that every child has the right to a high-quality English curriculum. We aim to develop confident and enthusiastic readers, creative and purposeful writers and effective communicators, giving children the knowledge and skills they need to succeed across the curriculum, in the next stage of their education and in later life.
Reading is at the heart of our English curriculum. Through carefully selected, high-quality literature, children experience a rich and varied range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. We want children to read fluently, widely and, most importantly, for pleasure. Our texts enable children to encounter different authors, genres, cultures and perspectives while developing the knowledge and vocabulary needed to understand increasingly challenging texts.
We recognise the importance of language and vocabulary in children's success. Rich and ambitious vocabulary is explicitly taught, discussed and revisited through reading and writing, helping children to understand what they read and make increasingly precise and effective choices in their own writing.
Our writing curriculum develops confident and increasingly independent writers who understand that writing has a purpose and an audience. Children learn from the texts they read and explore how authors use vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation and organisation to create particular effects. They write across a broad range of genres and are encouraged to develop creativity and their own voice as writers.
Speaking and listening underpin all aspects of English. Children are encouraged to articulate their ideas, listen and respond to others, explain their thinking and justify their opinions. From EYFS to Year 6, our curriculum is carefully sequenced so that knowledge and skills build progressively, with appropriate support and challenge enabling all children to make progress from their individual starting points.
Implementation
In EYFS, communication, language and literacy are developed throughout the provision. Children experience high-quality stories, rhymes, songs and poetry and are read to every day. Speaking, listening, mark-making and early writing are embedded throughout the learning environment, alongside opportunities to develop vocabulary and the fine and gross motor skills required for writing. Our EYFS provision provides children with the foundations in language, reading and writing upon which the rest of our English curriculum is built.
Phonics is taught systematically in Reception and Key Stage 1, with children reading books closely matched to their developing phonic knowledge. Children who require additional support with reading receive targeted intervention to help them develop the knowledge, strategies and confidence they need to become increasingly independent readers.
Across Years 1–6, carefully selected class texts provide a foundation for our English curriculum. Our long-term overviews ensure children experience a broad and progressive range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Particularly in Key Stage 2, children typically explore one core class text each half term in greater depth, working towards two purposeful writing outcomes alongside planned opportunities to study and write poetry.
Writing follows our consistent whole-school journey:
Immerse → Analyse → Teach → Draft → Edit → Publish
Children are immersed in the context, language and vocabulary surrounding a piece of writing before exploring high-quality examples and considering how successful writing has been constructed. Teachers explicitly teach the knowledge and skills required for each outcome, using teacher modelling and shared writing to demonstrate the writing process. Children then have opportunities to practise and apply these skills before drafting, revising and editing their own writing. Completed pieces are published, giving children a clear sense of purpose and encouraging pride in their work.
Vocabulary development is woven throughout this process. Key vocabulary linked to class texts and writing outcomes is explicitly taught, discussed and revisited, alongside Words of the Week. This supports children in understanding increasingly challenging language and making more ambitious and precise vocabulary choices within their own writing.
Grammar and punctuation are taught both discretely and within the writing process. Our progressive Grammar and Punctuation Framework ensures systematic coverage of National Curriculum expectations, supported by Easy Education Grammar and regular retrieval through daily starters. Discrete teaching does not always need to correspond immediately with a writing outcome; knowledge is taught, revisited and secured over time before children apply it appropriately within their writing. Grammar and punctuation are also explicitly modelled and taught as part of the writing journey.
Spelling is taught systematically through Spelling Shed, with children given regular opportunities to revisit previous learning and apply their spelling knowledge within independent writing. Handwriting and presentation are also given a high priority. Letter-Join supports our agreed approach to handwriting, with teaching incorporated into English lessons in Years 1 and 2 and Lower Key Stage 2. In Years 5 and 6, children who require further support receive targeted handwriting intervention. Our aim is for children to develop fluent, legible handwriting which allows them to concentrate increasingly on the content and quality of their writing.
Reading comprehension is developed through our VIPERS framework – Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Summarising/Sequencing. Reading begins with the core class text, allowing children to develop a secure understanding of its vocabulary and meaning. As the text becomes more familiar, children move on to a broad range of age-appropriate, unfamiliar texts and genres, enabling them to apply their reading skills independently and broaden their reading experiences.
VIPERS is used as a framework for developing deep comprehension rather than as a checklist to be completed each week. Particular emphasis is placed on Vocabulary, Inference and Retrieval as important foundations for understanding. Teachers explicitly model how skilled readers approach a text, locate and interpret information, make inferences, justify their ideas and use evidence to support their responses.
We want reading to extend beyond the English lesson. Children are encouraged to read regularly at home and have access to books within their classrooms and our central school library. We believe strongly in the importance of libraries and continue to provide children with access to a broad and engaging selection of fiction and non-fiction books, helping them to develop their own reading interests and a love of reading.
Speaking and listening are embedded throughout English and the wider curriculum. Children discuss texts, rehearse ideas orally, explain their thinking, listen and respond to others and justify their opinions. High-quality classroom talk supports vocabulary development and strengthens both reading comprehension and writing.
Assessment is used purposefully to identify children's strengths, gaps and next steps. Writing is assessed against progressive year-group expectations which reflect the development of skills across the year, and teachers moderate writing together each half term to support consistent judgements. Assessment in reading, phonics, spelling, grammar and punctuation is also used to inform teaching and identify where additional support or challenge is required.
English is celebrated throughout St James through children's published writing, working walls, classroom reading areas, our school library, poetry and World Book Day. We want children to see reading and writing not simply as school subjects, but as enjoyable, purposeful and valuable parts of their lives.
Impact
Through our English curriculum, children become increasingly confident, independent and enthusiastic readers, writers and communicators. They develop the knowledge, vocabulary and skills needed to communicate effectively and apply their learning across English and the wider curriculum.
As readers, children develop the fluency and comprehension needed to approach increasingly challenging and unfamiliar texts with confidence. They learn to retrieve and interpret information, make and justify inferences and discuss their understanding using evidence from what they have read. Through exposure to a broad range of texts, we aim for children to develop their own reading interests and a genuine enjoyment of books.
As writers, children learn to make thoughtful choices according to purpose and audience. They increasingly draw independently upon their knowledge of vocabulary, spelling, grammar and punctuation and understand how to draft, revise, edit and publish effective pieces of writing. Children recognise the important relationship between reading and writing, drawing upon the language, structures and techniques they encounter as readers to strengthen their own work.
Children develop fluent, legible handwriting and take pride in both the content and presentation of their work. Through regular assessment and moderation, teachers identify children's strengths and next steps, ensuring that teaching continues to provide appropriate support and challenge.
Most importantly, we want children to leave St James seeing themselves as readers, writers and communicators. We want them to read with confidence and enjoyment, write with purpose and creativity, and express their ideas clearly. They leave us with strong foundations in English and the confidence and enthusiasm to continue developing these skills throughout the next stage of their education and beyond.
English Curriculum Documents