English

At our academy, we believe that strong English skills are fundamental to children's success across the curriculum and in later life. Our aim is for every child to leave us at the end of Year 6 able to read, write and communicate confidently and effectively, having made strong progress from their individual starting points.

We want children to develop a genuine love of reading and writing. Through carefully chosen texts and purposeful opportunities to read, write, speak and listen, children develop the knowledge, vocabulary and confidence they need to express themselves and engage successfully with the wider curriculum.

Reading

Reading is at the heart of our curriculum. We want children to become fluent, confident and enthusiastic readers who read both for pleasure and to learn.

Children are taught the knowledge and skills they need to read successfully, beginning with the development of communication, language and early literacy in EYFS. As children progress through the academy, teaching increasingly develops their fluency, vocabulary and comprehension so that they can understand, discuss and respond thoughtfully to an increasingly ambitious range of texts.

Children encounter a wide variety of high-quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry, helping them to broaden their experiences, develop their vocabulary and discover authors, genres and subjects that inspire them.

Writing

We want children to become confident, purposeful and increasingly independent writers. Children are explicitly taught the knowledge and skills required to communicate effectively in writing, including composition, grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting.

Teachers model the writing process and provide opportunities for children to explore high-quality examples, develop ideas, select appropriate vocabulary and review and improve their work. As children progress through the academy, they are expected to apply what they have learned with increasing independence, writing effectively for different purposes and audiences.

Opportunities to apply English skills are also woven throughout the wider curriculum, enabling children to use reading, writing and communication meaningfully across different subjects.

Vocabulary and Oracy

The development of communication, language and vocabulary is an important part of our English curriculum. Children are explicitly introduced to ambitious vocabulary and are given frequent opportunities to encounter, discuss and apply new words.

Through purposeful discussion, questioning, explanation and presentation, children learn to articulate their ideas clearly, listen carefully to others and develop confidence in expressing their thinking.

English in Early Years

In EYFS, communication, language and literacy are central to children's learning. Children experience a language-rich environment in which adults model high-quality spoken language, introduce new vocabulary and develop children's confidence in communicating their ideas.

Stories, rhymes, songs, phonics, mark-making and early writing are an important part of everyday provision. A combination of carefully planned adult-led teaching and purposeful continuous provision enables children to revisit, practise and apply their learning through meaningful experiences.

Adults use ongoing assessment to identify children's individual starting points and next steps, enabling teaching and provision to respond appropriately to children's developing needs.

Assessment

Assessment is used purposefully to understand what children know, remember and can do and to identify where further teaching or support is required. Teachers use ongoing assessment alongside planned assessment opportunities to identify strengths, misconceptions and gaps in learning.

This information informs subsequent teaching, additional practice, intervention and challenge so that all children, including those with SEND and those who are disadvantaged, are supported to make strong progress from their starting points.

Reading VIPERS

Reading VIPERS supports the development of children's comprehension skills and provides a shared language for exploring texts.

VIPERS represents:

• V – Vocabulary
• I – Inference
• P – Prediction
• E – Explanation
• R – Retrieval
• S – Summarising/Sequencing

These areas support teachers in developing children's understanding of what they read. Children are encouraged not simply to find answers, but to think deeply about texts, explain their ideas and use evidence to support their responses.