English Curriculum

 

Intent

 

At Dunn Street Primary, our aim, aligned with the National Curriculum, is to ensure every child develops pride in high standards of language and literacy. We are committed to equipping all pupils with a strong command of spoken and written English and nurturing a genuine love of reading through frequent, enjoyable and meaningful exposure to literature.

As a small school serving a deprived community, we recognise that our pupils have a wide range of starting points, strengths and needs. Our English curriculum is therefore designed to be inclusive, ambitious and accessible for every learner. We create a supportive environment where reading, writing and discussion are valued every day, and where all children, regardless of background, ability or learning need, can experience success and develop confidence as communicators.

We prioritise the foundational knowledge and skills pupils need for future learning. From the earliest stages, pupils are supported to develop secure communication and language, vocabulary, accurate and fluent word reading, spelling and handwriting. Gaps in these essential foundations are identified early and addressed through high-quality teaching and timely, targeted support, enabling pupils to keep up and access the wider curriculum.

Through high-quality teaching, adaptive practice and carefully scaffolded support, pupils grow in resilience, independence and belief in their ability to achieve. Reading widely and engaging with a rich variety of texts enables children to develop culturally, emotionally, socially and intellectually. We promote respectful collaboration between pupils and staff, ensuring all children can apply their growing literacy skills across the curriculum and in their daily lives.

At Dunn Street, all pupils will:

• Be supported to meet age-related expectations in reading, writing, speaking and spelling, with appropriate adaptations and personalised targets for those who need them.
• Access inclusive, high-quality teaching, using strategies such as visual aids, modelling, scaffolded tasks, pre-teaching, structured talk and multisensory resources to ensure everyone can participate.
• Engage with a wide and diverse range of texts, including different genres, cultures, formats and levels of complexity, ensuring every child can find something meaningful and enjoyable to read.
• Develop strong communication skills, supported through structured discussion, role play, sentence stems, vocabulary-rich environments and opportunities to practise language in real contexts.
• Write for a range of audiences and purposes, with access to word banks, writing frames and shared writing.
• Experience daily reading and writing, with additional practice or alternative approaches for pupils who require extra support.
• Build confidence and independence, developing their own writing voice and celebrating progress at every stage.
• Read fluently and with understanding, supported through high-quality phonics teaching using Read Write Inc., alongside targeted interventions for those who need further practice.
• Secure key knowledge of spelling, grammar and punctuation, taught in clear, small steps and applied purposefully in writing.
• Develop a lifelong love of reading, accessing books they enjoy, understand and can talk about with confidence.
• Take part in meaningful discussions, with structured opportunities to express ideas, listen to others, ask questions and build on different viewpoints.
• Take pride in their writing, presenting work clearly and to the best of their ability, with support for handwriting and motor skills when needed.

 

Implementation

At Dunn Street Primary, our aim, aligned with the National Curriculum, is to ensure every child develops pride in high standards of language and literacy. We are committed to equipping all pupils with a strong command of spoken and written English and nurturing a genuine love of reading through frequent, enjoyable and meaningful exposure to literature.

As a small school serving a deprived community, we recognise that our pupils have a wide range of starting points, strengths and needs. Our English curriculum is therefore designed to be inclusive, ambitious and accessible for every learner. We create a supportive environment where reading, writing and discussion are valued every day, and where all children, regardless of background, ability or learning need, can experience success and develop confidence as communicators.

We prioritise the foundational knowledge and skills pupils need for future learning. From the earliest stages, pupils are supported to develop secure communication and language, vocabulary, accurate and fluent word reading, spelling and handwriting. Gaps in these essential foundations are identified early and addressed through high-quality teaching and timely, targeted support, enabling pupils to keep up and access the wider curriculum.

Through high-quality teaching, adaptive practice and carefully scaffolded support, pupils grow in resilience, independence and belief in their ability to achieve. Reading widely and engaging with a rich variety of texts enables children to develop culturally, emotionally, socially and intellectually. We promote respectful collaboration between pupils and staff, ensuring all children can apply their growing literacy skills across the curriculum and in their daily lives.

At Dunn Street, all pupils will:

• Be supported to meet age-related expectations in reading, writing, speaking and spelling, with appropriate adaptations and personalised targets for those who need them.
• Access inclusive, high-quality teaching, using strategies such as visual aids, modelling, scaffolded tasks, pre-teaching, structured talk and multisensory resources to ensure everyone can participate.
• Engage with a wide and diverse range of texts, including different genres, cultures, formats and levels of complexity, ensuring every child can find something meaningful and enjoyable to read.
• Develop strong communication skills, supported through structured discussion, role play, sentence stems, vocabulary-rich environments and opportunities to practise language in real contexts.
• Write for a range of audiences and purposes, with access to word banks, writing frames and shared writing.
• Experience daily reading and writing, with additional practice or alternative approaches for pupils who require extra support.
• Build confidence and independence, developing their own writing voice and celebrating progress at every stage.
• Read fluently and with understanding, supported through high-quality phonics teaching using Read Write Inc., alongside targeted interventions for those who need further practice.
• Secure key knowledge of spelling, grammar and punctuation, taught in clear, small steps and applied purposefully in writing.
• Develop a lifelong love of reading, accessing books they enjoy, understand and can talk about with confidence.
• Take part in meaningful discussions, with structured opportunities to express ideas, listen to others, ask questions and build on different viewpoints.
• Take pride in their writing, presenting work clearly and to the best of their ability, with support for handwriting and motor skills when needed.

 

Speaking and Listening

At Dunn Street, speaking and listening are at the heart of everything we do. As a Voice 21 school, we believe that learning to talk and learning through talk develops strong oracy skills, which in turn support reading, writing, and essential life skills.

Our approach is guided by four strands: Physical, Linguistic, Cognitive, and Social & Emotional. Teachers model language, introduce sentence stems, build vocabulary, and provide structured opportunities for talk. Reading aloud—during English lessons and story times—helps pupils develop pace, passion and expressive communication.

Oracy is embedded across the curriculum. Pupils regularly share ideas, read their work aloud, and reflect on peers’ contributions. Talk for Writing strategies help pupils rehearse ideas before writing.

Class discussions, alongside constructive feedback from older pupils on clarity and confidence, help to further develop communication skills. Frequent read-aloud sessions expose children to rich language and vocabulary while fostering a love of literature, inspiring them to become confident, articulate, and expressive communicators.

 

Reading

Reading is central to our English curriculum and we strongly believe that developing a love of reading supports pupils to become confident readers and writers. Pupils are encouraged to read widely and often through carefully selected texts, class libraries, dedicated reading spaces and regular opportunities to share and enjoy books. Story sharing and reading for pleasure are embedded across school life through classroom practice, assemblies, author visits, visits to the library and daily Storytime.

Reading is taught daily, with Shared Reading providing regular opportunities for pupils to explore a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Teaching develops fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, including pupils’ ability to retrieve information, make inferences, discuss texts and respond thoughtfully to what they have read. Additional programmes and targeted support, including Lexia and Reading Plus, are used where appropriate to meet individual needs.

Accelerated Reader in Year 6, supports pupils in selecting appropriately challenging books, encourages regular independent reading and enables staff to monitor reading engagement and comprehension. Home-school reading partnerships are strengthened through Reading Records and regular communication with families.

Reading for pleasure is celebrated throughout the school. Dunn Street participates in national initiatives and events, including World Book Day and National Poetry Day, alongside whole-school texts and other reading opportunities. Displays across school celebrate books, authors, poetry and pupils’ reading achievements, helping to create a positive reading culture in which children see themselves as readers.

Early Reading and Phonics

Early reading is nurtured from the very start. In Nursery and Reception, Phase 1 phonics focuses on developing listening skills, sound discrimination and oral blending, laying the groundwork for later decoding. From Reception to Year 4, or for as long as individual pupils require it, pupils follow the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme, learning to decode using continuous blending to strengthen phoneme synthesis, accuracy and early fluency.

Regular assessments, led by our Phonics Lead, ensure pupils are accurately grouped and teaching is closely matched to their stage of reading development. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind receive timely, targeted intervention and additional practice, ensuring they keep up wherever possible and continue to build secure foundations in reading.

For pupils beyond Year 4 who still require additional support with decoding, fluency and comprehension, Read Write Inc. Fresh Start provides a targeted intervention programme. This ensures that older pupils continue to receive age-appropriate, structured phonics and reading support for as long as it is needed, enabling them to develop the skills and confidence required to access the wider curriculum.

Writing

At Dunn Street, our writing curriculum ensures that pupils develop the full range of skills set out in the 2025 Writing Framework. From Reception, pupils are taught to form letters correctly, develop fluent handwriting and apply phonics-based spelling strategies, establishing strong transcription skills that allow them to focus on composition.

Early writing is supported through structured oral rehearsal and modelled, shared and guided writing, enabling pupils to plan, sequence and articulate sentences before writing independently. Across Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils build on these foundations to compose increasingly complex texts with clarity, coherence and purpose, applying accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Pupils write for a range of audiences and purposes across the curriculum, developing creativity, confidence and independence as authors, poets and communicators. Marking and constructive feedback support pupils to edit, refine and improve their work, while opportunities to read writing aloud develop confidence and help pupils consider the impact of their writing on an audience.

Our school environment celebrates writing through high-quality displays, vocabulary walls, model texts and interactive resources that reinforce expectations, support independence and promote pride in pupils’ work. This structured and progressive approach supports all pupils to work towards national writing expectations by the end of each key stage.

Assessment

 

Assessment is ongoing and central to effective English teaching at Dunn Street. Teachers gather information continuously through questioning, observation, verbal feedback and written responses. Writing moderation ensures consistency and accuracy across classes.

Assessment identifies both strengths and gaps, enabling teachers to tailor next steps and plan targeted interventions where progress is not yet secure. Information is shared with school leadership, shaping future curriculum development and ensuring that our English provision remains of the highest standard. Ultimately, assessment drives improvement for all pupils while supporting long-term progression across the school.

Impact

As a result of our intent and implementation, Dunn Street has developed a school community of confident and enthusiastic readers, writers and communicators. Pupils recognise their own progress, embrace challenge and develop the confidence to take risks in their learning. They celebrate their achievements and take pride in their successes, both as individuals and as part of the wider school community.

We strive to ensure that all pupils achieve well and fulfil their potential, taking account of their individual starting points and needs. A range of formative and summative assessment approaches enables teachers and leaders to evaluate progress, identify strengths, gaps and barriers to learning, and adapt teaching or provide timely, targeted support.

Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND and those who may face other barriers to learning, are supported to build securely on their prior knowledge and make suitable progress from their starting points. Assessment information, alongside monitoring of teaching and pupils’ work, enables leaders to evaluate the impact of the English curriculum and identify priorities for further improvement.

Ultimately, pupils leave Dunn Street with the knowledge, skills, confidence and love of language needed to communicate effectively, access the wider curriculum and be well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Foundational Knowledge

eyfs foundational knowledge acorns dunn street.pdf

 

eyfs foundational knowledge cll dunn street.pdf

 

eyfs foundational knowledge literacy dunn street.pdf

 

Our English Long Term Planning

 

acorns english long term planning.pdf

 

seeds english long term plan.pdf

 

buds long term plan.pdf

 

blossoms english long term plan dunn street.pdf

 

magnificent 7 english long term plan.pdf

 

oaks english long term plan .pdf

 

the mighty oaks english long term plan.pdf

 

 

Phonics Intent 

Our primary goal is to ensure that every child develops strong foundational reading
skills, regardless of socioeconomic background. In a deprived area, many pupils may
start school with limited exposure to spoken and written language, which can hinder
long-term academic success. Our intent is to:

• Provide a structured, systematic approach to phonics using the Read Write
  Inc. (RWI) programme to develop decoding and blending skills.
• Foster a love of reading and language through access to a rich variety of
  texts.
• Close the literacy gap early, ensuring children leave early years with age-appropriate reading abilities.
• Equip children with the confidence and strategies to independently read, comprehend, and engage with a broad curriculum.