At Abbey Park Primary School, English is the foundation of the entire curriculum. Our English curriculum is designed to ensure pupils become fluent readers, confident writers and articulate speakers, able to access learning across all subjects. We use high-quality, research-informed programmes to ensure consistency and progression: Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised for phonics and early reading, and The Literacy Tree for writing and wider reading development.

What children learn

Our English curriculum develops pupils’ knowledge and skills across four key strands:

• Reading (word reading and comprehension)
• Writing (composition, grammar and transcription)
• Spoken language and oracy
• Vocabulary development across the curriculum

Pupils are taught to:

• decode and understand increasingly complex texts
• write for a range of purposes and audiences
• structure ideas clearly and coherently
• use ambitious vocabulary accurately

A strong emphasis is placed on language development and text exposure, ensuring pupils engage with high-quality literature from the earliest stages.

Building knowledge over time

Learning is carefully sequenced from Early Years through to Year 7.

• In Early Years and KS1, pupils follow Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, developing secure phonics knowledge, blending, and early fluency. Reading books are carefully matched to phonics progression to ensure success.
• In KS1, KS2 and KS3 pupils progress into whole-class reading and structured comprehension, developing inference, vocabulary understanding and authorial awareness.
• Writing is taught through The Literacy Tree, using high-quality texts to develop grammar, composition and understanding of authorial choices.

Knowledge is revisited regularly so that pupils build secure long-term understanding rather than short-term recall.

Reading (Little Wandle & wider reading)

Reading is prioritised across the school.

• Daily phonics teaching in EYFS and KS1
• Decodable books matched precisely to phonics stage
• Small-group reading sessions focusing on decoding, prosody and comprehension
• Daily story time to promote reading for pleasure

From Year 2 onwards, pupils develop fluency and comprehension through whole-class reading, supported by structured questioning and vocabulary development.

A strong reading culture is promoted through:

• high-quality class texts
• school libraries and reading environments
• regular reading for pleasure opportunities

Writing (Literacy Tree)

Writing is taught through The Literacy Tree, which uses a book-based approach to develop pupils’ writing, reading and vocabulary.

Pupils:

• study high-quality texts in depth
• explore authorial intent and language choices
• develop writing through structured sequences
• write across a range of genres including narrative, explanation, persuasion and discussion

Grammar and spelling are taught in context and revisited regularly, ensuring pupils apply skills meaningfully in their writing.

Thinking like a reader and writer

Pupils are taught to think explicitly as:

• readers (infer, predict, summarise, evaluate)
• writers (plan, draft, revise, edit)
• speakers (explain, justify, discuss, debate)

Reading and writing are explicitly connected, ensuring pupils understand how authors create meaning and impact.

Vocabulary and oracy

Vocabulary development is central to English.

Pupils are taught:

• ambitious and subject-specific vocabulary
• strategies for understanding new words
• how to use language precisely in speech and writing

Oracy is developed through structured talk opportunities using the Voice 21 approach, enabling pupils to articulate ideas clearly and confidently.

Assessment and progress

Assessment is ongoing and integrated into teaching:

• phonics assessments in line with Little Wandle
• comprehension and fluency checks
• independent writing outcomes
• teacher assessment against curriculum expectations

Assessment is used to identify gaps, inform teaching and ensure progression over time.

What pupil’s achieve

By the end of Year 6, pupils:

• read fluently and with understanding across a range of texts
• write confidently for different purposes and audiences
• use vocabulary accurately and effectively
• communicate ideas clearly in speech and writing
• are prepared for secondary education in English and across the curriculum

Inclusion

Teaching is adapted so all pupils can succeed through:

• precise scaffolding
• targeted intervention (including phonics support where needed)
• carefully matched reading materials
• high expectations for all learners