English

‘You can make anything by writing’ C.S. Lewis

Our English curriculum is based on Jane Considine’s scheme: The Write Stuff, taught from Year 1 onwards. Key aspects of The Write Stuff system include:

🌟 building pupils’ confidence with sentence structure;
🌟 widening the repertoire of writing options for pupils;
🌟 gaining an understanding of the ‘whole’ piece being written; and
🌟 organising coherent ideas.

Children in KS1 and KS2 take part in a daily English lesson of about an hour. In addition, they also have regular reading/phonics, handwriting and spelling lessons. There are daily opportunities across the curriculum for all children to develop foundational speaking and listening skills. These include taking an active part in their learning and teachers having high expectations about children’s spoken contributions and interactions.

Children develop their writing skills by enjoying and exploring quality texts across a wide range of genres; developing a growing repertoire of effective writing devices. They are given opportunities to produce multiple drafts, learning to effectively edit and improve their writing in preparation for finished pieces. We look for opportunities for children to write for a purpose, sharing their work with a range of audiences both internal and external to the academy.

Handwriting

Our handwriting approach is based on guidance from the National Handwriting Association. We believe that handwriting remains important in an increasingly digital world, as the skill of handwriting allows children to express and communicate their ideas fluently, clearly and with increasing speed. See our Handwriting Policy for more detail.

English overview 2022-23