English

English at Broad Oak

Subject Leader: Mr McGowan

Vision:

Curriculum Statements:

Writing:

Our writing curriculum is designed to provide a broad and balanced education that meets the needs of all children. We follow the award-winning Ready Steady Write from Literacy Counts to develop confident, independent and successful writers with high aspirations. Our writing curriculum is research-informed and impact-proven, carefully designed to support all children to master the foundational skills and write for a clear audience and purpose. Through the use of high-quality, vocabulary-rich texts, we provide exciting and meaningful reasons to write. Children are immersed in literature and taught to craft their writing with precision, using a range of pedagogical approaches, including sentence accuracy, modelled writing and shared writing, as well as regular opportunities for editing. We value spoken language as a foundation for writing. Through structured talk, drama and vocabulary exploration, children learn how to organise and express their ideas clearly before writing them down. Our aim is for every child – regardless of need – to write fluently and take pride in their work. We want our pupils to leave primary school as enthusiastic writers, ready for the next stage of their education.

Reading:

Our reading curriculum is designed to provide a broad and balanced education that meets the needs of all children. We follow Literacy Counts’ award‑winning Ready Steady Read Together to develop confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers with high aspirations. Our reading curriculum is research‑informed and impact‑proven, carefully structured to support every child in building strong comprehension, vocabulary and fluency skills. Using high‑quality, vocabulary‑rich texts, we immerse pupils in a diverse range of literature that excites, challenges and inspires them.

Through explicit teaching of metacognitive strategies, modelling of prosody and structured opportunities for discussion, children learn how skilled readers make meaning from text. Shared reading allows pupils to explore language, deepen inference skills and engage critically with ambitious texts, regardless of their decoding ability. Regular opportunities for talk, questioning and drama further strengthen comprehension and oracy.

Our aim is for every child – regardless of need – to read widely, confidently and with enjoyment. We want our pupils to leave primary school as enthusiastic readers who use reading to broaden their knowledge, deepen their understanding of the world and support their learning across the curriculum.

Early Reading (Phonics):

Our early reading curriculum is designed to ensure that all children secure the foundational skills needed to become confident, fluent readers. We follow Read Write Inc. Phonics, a highly regarded, systematic synthetic phonics programme that is research‑informed and impact‑proven. Through consistent, rigorous and carefully sequenced teaching, children in Early Years and Key Stage One learn to recognise sounds, blend accurately and read words with increasing fluency. Daily phonics lessons provide structured opportunities for children to practise decoding, develop automaticity and apply their skills to meaningful reading and writing tasks.

High‑quality teaching routines, precise modelling and regular assessment ensure that every child receives the right support at the right time, including targeted tutoring for those who need additional practice. Children are immersed in engaging, decodable storybooks that match their reading stage, helping them experience success and build confidence. Our aim is for every child – regardless of need – to develop strong early reading skills that enable them to access the full curriculum. We want pupils to leave Key Stage One as fluent, motivated readers who are ready to progress into more complex texts with enjoyment and understanding.

Spelling:

Our spelling curriculum is designed to provide a broad and balanced education that meets the needs of all children. We follow the award-recognised Ready Steady Spell by Literacy Counts to ensure that all pupils become fluent, accurate spellers. Our spelling curriculum is research-informed and impact-proven, helping children secure the essential skills and strategies they need to spell confidently across the curriculum. Through engaging activities, consistent teaching routines and regular opportunities to revisit prior learning, we help children move spelling knowledge into their long-term memory. Our aim is to build confident writers who are equipped with the tools they need to communicate clearly and effectively. Spelling is taught in a clear and systematic way, with regular reviews and assessments.

Grammar and Handwriting:

Our grammar and handwriting curriculum is designed to ensure all children develop the sentence-level accuracy and transcription skills needed to become confident, fluent writers. Through Ready Steady Write, children are explicitly taught the grammar knowledge that underpins effective writing, including word classes, sentence structures, punctuation and the craft of constructing clear, precise sentences. Grammar is taught in context, carefully woven through high‑quality texts and modelled writing so that pupils understand how grammatical choices shape meaning. Regular opportunities for oral rehearsal, sentence imitation and sentence invention enable children to apply grammar purposefully and with increasing independence.

Handwriting is taught systematically to ensure children develop a fluent, legible and efficient style. Through consistent teaching routines, high expectations for presentation and regular practice, pupils learn correct letter formation, positioning, spacing and joins. Strong handwriting supports children’s accuracy, stamina and confidence, enabling them to focus on composition rather than transcription. Our aim is for every child – regardless of need – to write neatly, accurately and with increasing control, building the foundations for successful writing across the curriculum.

What our pupils say about English at Broad Oak: