English

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” | Malala Yousafzai

Subject Leader: Miss Brown

At St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School, we believe that the ability to read, write and communicate effectively is fundamental to children’s academic success, personal development and participation in society. Through a high quality English curriculum, grounded in our mission to live and learn in faith and love, we aim to nurture confident readers, purposeful writers and articulate speakers who can express their ideas, emotions and beliefs with clarity and confidence.

Reading lies at the heart of our English curriculum. Through exposure to high quality, carefully chosen texts, children develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature enables children to explore their own experiences and those of others, fostering empathy, curiosity and understanding of the wider world. We place a strong emphasis on reading for pleasure, recognising its vital role in developing vocabulary, comprehension and a lifelong love of books.

The study of English develops children’s ability to listen, speak, read and write for a wide range of purposes. Children are encouraged to express themselves creatively and imaginatively, becoming enthusiastic and reflective readers of fiction, poetry, non fiction and media texts. Through the explicit teaching of language structures, grammar and vocabulary, children gain a deeper understanding of how language works and how it can be adapted for different audiences and purposes. English learning is carefully linked across the wider curriculum, enabling children to make meaningful connections and deepen their understanding of the world around them.

Writing at St Cuthbert’s

Our vision is that every child becomes a confident, creative and independent writer. Writing opportunities are purposeful, engaging and often linked to learning across the curriculum. From EYFS to Year 6, we use The Write Stuff approach by Jane Considine, which provides a structured, modelled and scaffolded framework for high quality writing. Through rich texts, explicit vocabulary instruction and clear sentence structures, children are supported to develop technical accuracy, creativity and independence in their writing.

Reading and Early Reading

Early reading is taught through Floppy’s Phonics a systematic phonics programme, ensuring children build secure decoding skills from Reception onwards. As children become fluent readers, the focus shifts to developing accuracy, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Reading is taught through individual, group and whole class sessions, alongside daily story time and regular opportunities to read independently. Our school library and class reading areas provide access to a wide range of texts, encouraging children to explore different authors, genres and themes.

Through our English curriculum, we aim for children to leave St Cuthbert’s as confident, articulate and reflective communicators, with a deep love of reading and writing that equips them for the next stage of their education and for life beyond the classroom.