English 

It is our aim when teaching the English curriculum that our pupils acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to become lifelong learners and linguists. We strive to ensure that all our pupils receive a well-rounded learning experience when reading, writing, speaking and listening, which will equip them with the fundamental tools to achieve whilst at St Peter & St Paul Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery and beyond.

English is a core subject of the National Curriculum and a prerequisite for educational and social progress, as it underpins the work undertaken in all areas of the curriculum. The acquisition of language skills is of the utmost importance to us here at St Peter & St Paul and therefore the teaching of all aspects of English is given a high priority within school. Confidence in basic language skills enables children to communicate creatively and imaginatively, preparing them for their future journey through education and beyond. 

 

Our aim is to ensure that every child becomes a reader, a writer and confident speaker by the time they leave St Peter & St Paul Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery. 

•  To promote and instill a love for reading, writing and high-quality literature for pupils of all ages.
•  To deliver an English curriculum which is carefully sequenced to develop the acquisition of knowledge and skills. 

 

Speaking and listening is central to our curriculum and is developed from EYFS throughout our school, across the curriculum. We nurture children’s speaking and listening skills through a variety of approaches. These include: exploratory play, story time, hot-seating, collaborative learning, presenting reasoned arguments etc. We develop these skills so that our children are confident in expressing their own ideas clearly, in a safe and supportive environment, in all aspects and areas of their school life and into their future.

Drama is used across all subjects to explore and engage children in their learning. This gives children the opportunity to embed vocabulary in shared activities, embedding the use of topic specific language repetitively as they rehearse.

Children are also encouraged to develop their oracy skills outside of the curriculum. This is promoted through: 

• Collective Worship.
• School council and other pupil voice activities.
• Phase and year group productions.
• Participation in local events and school trips 

Reading

Intent

At St Peter & St Paul Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery, reading is at the heart of our curriculum. We aim to develop lifelong readers who enjoy reading for pleasure and use reading to acquire knowledge, broaden their understanding and access the wider curriculum. Through exposure to high-quality texts, rich language and engaging stories, we foster a love of reading and a curiosity about the world.

Implementation

Reading is taught through a progressive approach aligned with the National Curriculum and supported by high-quality texts that drive learning across the curriculum. Early reading is prioritised through the systematic teaching of Little Wandle Phonics, with decodable books carefully matched to pupils' phonics knowledge and regular assessment ensuring timely support where needed.

Across the school, pupils develop fluency, comprehension and vocabulary through guided, shared and individual reading opportunities. A language-rich environment, ambitious vocabulary instruction and carefully chosen texts support children to know more, remember more and understand more. Reading for pleasure is promoted through daily class reads, book-based events, author visits, library links and opportunities to engage with a wide range of literature both in school and at home.

Impact

Our reading curriculum develops fluent, confident readers who enjoy reading and understand its value as a tool for learning and personal development. Pupils make strong progress from their starting points, applying their reading skills across the curriculum to deepen knowledge and understanding. As a result, children leave our school with a love of reading, a rich vocabulary and the skills needed to succeed in the next stage of their education and beyond.

 

Reading at Home

As a school, we are passionate about reading. During the school day, your child will be involved in a range of reading activities: independently, on a one-to-one basis with an adult, in small guided reading groups or in whole class reading lessons. 

Reading at home for pleasure has a big impact on children’s development. We encourage all our children to read at home or share a book with an adult every day. Every time your child reads at home, sign and make a comment in their reading record book. Each day the class staff will record how many times your child has read. Every child who has read five times or more in a week (Thursday to Thursday) will get a raffle ticket and a book will be awarded to one lucky winner from each class on a Friday. 

Intent 

At St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery, we intend for all children to become confident, resilient and independent writers who can communicate effectively for a range of audiences and purposes. Through a structured and progressive approach to writing, pupils develop the knowledge, skills and vocabulary needed to express themselves clearly and creatively. We believe that writing is a craft which can be planned, developed and refined, and that every child can achieve success as a writer.

Our writing curriculum is underpinned by the principles of the Education Endowment Foundation's literacy guidance and the 2025 Writing Framework. We ensure children develop a secure understanding of sentence structure, language choices, grammar and transcription skills alongside the ability to generate, organise and communicate ideas. High-quality texts, purposeful discussion and meaningful writing opportunities inspire children to write with confidence, accuracy and ambition.

Implementation 

 Writing is taught through a structured five-stage process: Plan, Draft, Revise, Edit and Share. These stages are explicitly taught and consistently used across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 to develop pupils' understanding of the writing process and their independence as writers.

Each writing unit begins with a clear purpose and authentic audience, helping children understand the real-life value of writing. Teachers use high-quality model texts, discussion, oral rehearsal and vocabulary-rich learning experiences to enable pupils to generate and organise ideas effectively.

Throughout the writing process, teachers provide explicit instruction, modelling and shared writing opportunities. Pupils are taught to:

Plan and organise ideas for a specific audience and purpose.
Draft fluently, focusing on communicating ideas.
Revise content to improve meaning, vocabulary and effectiveness.
Edit for spelling, punctuation, grammar and presentation.
Share and publish their work in meaningful ways.
Working walls and classroom resources support pupils in becoming increasingly independent. Ongoing formative assessment enables teachers to adapt teaching and provide appropriate support and challenge. Through repeated opportunities to engage with the writing process across a range of genres, pupils build fluency, stamina and confidence.

The impact of our writing curriculum is evident in pupils who see themselves as successful writers and understand how writing can be used to communicate, influence and inspire others.

Children leave each year group with increasing confidence in applying the writing process independently. They can write effectively for different audiences and purposes, drawing upon an expanding vocabulary and secure knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Pupils demonstrate resilience by revising and improving their work and understand that high-quality writing develops through reflection and refinement.

As a result, outcomes in writing show strong progress from individual starting points, and pupils are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to succeed in the next stage of their education and beyond.

This approach supports our school vision of helping children grow to be like Jesus by showing love, kindness and hope every day, enabling them to communicate thoughtfully, respectfully and purposefully with others.

 

Reading at Home

As a school, we are passionate about reading. During the school day, your child will be involved in a range of reading activities: independently, on a one-to-one basis with an adult, in small guided reading groups or in whole class reading lessons. 

Reading at home for pleasure has a big impact on children’s development. We encourage all our children to read at home or share a book with an adult every day. Every time your child reads at home, sign and make a comment in their reading record book. Each day the class staff will record how many times your child has read. Every child who has read five times or more in a week (Thursday to Thursday) will get a raffle ticket and a book will be awarded to one lucky winner from each class on a Friday.