English
Intent:
At Harris Primary Academy South Kenton, we believe that the ability to speak, read and write confidently and fluently is fundamental to every child’s success. Our ambitious and inclusive English curriculum equips all pupils with the knowledge, skills and creativity they need to become confident readers, purposeful writers and effective communicators. Through English, we want every child to Thrive, Belong and Achieve, regardless of their starting point or background.
We aim to develop lifelong readers who read widely and often, both for pleasure and information. Through a rich and inclusive range of high-quality texts, pupils broaden their vocabulary, develop their knowledge of the world and encounter different perspectives, cultures and experiences.
Our writing curriculum develops fluent, purposeful and creative writers. We systematically teach handwriting and spelling to develop accuracy, fluency and automaticity, alongside explicitly teaching pupils to plan, draft, revise, edit and improve their writing with increasing independence. Our approach is informed by the DfE Writing Framework and the Education Endowment Foundation’s literacy guidance.
Oracy is central to our English curriculum. Informed by the Voice 21 Oracy Benchmarks, we explicitly teach pupils to speak, listen and communicate effectively. Through discussion, debate, performance and presentation, pupils learn to articulate and justify their ideas, build on the contributions of others and adapt their language for different audiences and purposes. We believe that every child’s voice matters.
Ultimately, we want pupils to leave Harris Primary Academy South Kenton as enthusiastic readers, skilled and independent writers and confident communicators, equipped to succeed across the curriculum and beyond.
Implementation:
English is taught every day, with pupils developing their knowledge and skills across reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar, handwriting and oracy. We maintain high expectations for all, providing appropriate support, scaffolding and challenge to remove barriers and enable every pupil to succeed. Phonics, reading, spelling and handwriting are also taught explicitly through dedicated sessions.
Phonics
We use the Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics programme to teach children to read accurately and fluently. Children begin RWI in EYFS and receive daily 45-minute phonics lessons, five times a week.
Pupils are grouped according to their current reading needs and regularly assessed and regrouped. They are systematically taught the relationship between phonemes and graphemes, progressing through Sets 1, 2 and 3, and learn to blend sounds confidently to read unfamiliar words.
RWI uses consistent strategies and terminology, including Fred Talk to support blending, Green Words that can be decoded using phonics knowledge and Red Words containing spellings that cannot yet be decoded. This systematic approach provides pupils with the foundations needed to become confident, fluent and independent readers.
A guide for parents: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/read-write-inc-phonics-guide/
Reading
Reading is prioritised throughout Harris Primary Academy South Kenton, with the aim of developing fluent, confident and enthusiastic readers. Pupils who have completed the systematic phonics programme receive five dedicated whole-class reading lessons each week, developing vocabulary, retrieval, prediction, inference and understanding of authors’ language choices.
A strong and inclusive culture of reading is promoted across the school. High-quality texts are carefully selected to expose pupils to a range of voices, cultures, experiences and perspectives, with opportunities to read embedded throughout the curriculum. Reading at home every night is an expectation for all pupils, with home reading recorded on bookmarks and checked daily by staff.
Progress is monitored through ongoing assessment, learning walks, pupil voice and reading outcomes, enabling us to identify and address barriers to success
Spelling
Spelling is taught systematically and progressively across the school. In EYFS and KS1, spelling is closely linked to Read Write Inc., enabling pupils to apply their growing knowledge of phoneme-grapheme correspondences when writing.
During Year 2, pupils gradually transition to the Essential Spelling programme, exploring alternative graphemes alongside spelling patterns and rules. In KS2, pupils follow Essential Spelling and Word Knowledge, with an increasing focus on morphology, word families and how words are constructed from meaningful units.
Spelling is explicitly taught each week and regularly revisited to support long-term retention. Pupils practise and apply their learning at school and at home, while regular dictation enables them to apply taught spelling patterns and rules within complete sentences and reinforce handwriting and punctuation.
Writing
Writing is taught explicitly every day through a consistent five-day writing sequence, providing pupils with a clear and familiar structure and enabling them to build progressively towards a high-quality writing outcome each week.
The sequence begins with vocabulary and immersion, followed by explicit punctuation, grammar and composition teaching linked to the writing outcome. Grammar is carefully sequenced through our year-group progression documents. Pupils then experience modelled writing and planning, before applying their learning through extended writing and redrafting, followed by targeted proofreading, editing and improving.
We believe that for pupils to write it successfully, they must first be able to say it. Oracy is embedded throughout the writing process, with opportunities to rehearse sentences, develop ideas and explore vocabulary and grammatical structures aloud before writing, providing an important point of access for all learners.
Weekly extended writing is appropriately scaffolded to provide support and challenge while maintaining ambitious expectations for all. Federation writing checklists and Teacher Assessment Frameworks (TAFs) support pupils and teachers in understanding age-related expectations, identifying next steps and informing ongoing assessment.
Handwriting
Handwriting is taught explicitly and systematically using the Nelson Handwriting programme from Reception to Year 6. Regular practice develops accurate letter formation, consistent sizing and spacing, with pupils progressing to joins from the end of Year 1.
Frequent, focused practice develops fluency and automaticity, enabling pupils to focus increasingly on the content and composition of their writing rather than the mechanics of handwriting.
Impact
The impact of our English curriculum is seen through pupils’ progress, sustained learning and their ability to apply their literacy skills across the curriculum. Our inclusive approach removes barriers while maintaining high expectations, ensuring that every pupil has the opportunity to thrive and achieve.
The systematic teaching of phonics, spelling and handwriting develops secure foundational skills and automaticity, while our consistent writing process enables pupils to build on prior learning and become increasingly confident, reflective and independent writers. As pupils progress through the school, they become familiar with a wide range of genres and learn to use vocabulary, grammar and punctuation purposefully to develop their own writer’s craft and voice.
Pupils’ English books demonstrate progression through the writing process. Writing is assessed half-termly using a range of extended, independent outcomes alongside ongoing teacher assessment to identify progress, attainment and next steps.
Ultimately, we aim for every child, regardless of their starting point, background or individual need, to leave Harris Primary Academy South Kenton as a fluent and enthusiastic reader, confident communicator and independent writer. Through English, we want pupils to Thrive as confident learners, Belong to a community where every voice is valued and Achieve the knowledge and skills needed for the next stage of their education and beyond.
