English
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Intent |
At Rowde C of E Primary Academy, English is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that speaking, listening, reading and writing are the foundations of learning and the key to helping children understand themselves, others and the world around them.
Our ambition is for every child to become a fluent reader, a confident writer and an articulate communicator. Through a language-rich curriculum, children develop a lifelong love of reading alongside the knowledge and skills needed to communicate clearly, think critically and write with purpose.
Books, vocabulary and meaningful discussion are central to our curriculum. We place equal importance on developing children's confidence in speaking, reading and writing, ensuring they leave Rowde with the literacy skills they need to flourish throughout their education and beyond.
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Implementation |
Our English curriculum develops progressively from Reception to Year 6 and is built around the simple principle:
Think it. Say it. Write it.
Children are encouraged to explore ideas through discussion before communicating them confidently in writing.
Reading
Reading is the priority throughout the primary years.
Children begin their reading journey through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme, learning to read using fully decodable books matched to their phonic knowledge. Re-reading these books develops fluency, accuracy and expression while building confidence and comprehension.
As children become fluent readers, they move into our Book Club lessons, where they explore ambitious fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Through rich discussion, explicit vocabulary teaching and our carefully designed Literature Spine, children develop a love of reading while learning to think critically about what they read.
Daily story time and independent reading ensure that reading for pleasure remains at the heart of school life.
Writing
Writing develops progressively from the Early Years through to Year 6. Our curriculum gives equal importance to transcription (handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar) and composition (creating and communicating ideas).
Every writing lesson begins with handwriting practice and a dictated sentence before children apply new learning through purposeful writing linked to high-quality texts and the wider curriculum. Vocabulary, oral rehearsal and teacher modelling are central to every lesson, enabling children to become increasingly confident, accurate and independent writers.
Alongside writing lessons, children receive explicit teaching in phonics, spelling, handwriting and punctuation and grammar, ensuring they develop the knowledge and automaticity needed to write fluently.
Oracy
We believe that confident talk leads to confident writing.
Children are encouraged to explain, discuss, debate and justify their ideas across the curriculum. Through our Rowde Talk Tactics, structured sentence stems and high-quality classroom discussion, children develop the confidence to express themselves clearly, listen actively and communicate with respect.
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Impact |
By the time children leave Rowde, they are confident readers who read widely and for pleasure, thoughtful writers who communicate with accuracy and purpose, and articulate young people who can express their ideas with confidence.
Our teachers use ongoing formative assessment every day to identify next steps and adapt teaching, alongside a range of diagnostic and statutory assessments to monitor progress over time. This enables us to provide timely support, celebrate success and ensure every child achieves their full potential.
Ultimately, we want every child to leave Rowde with a lifelong love of reading, pride in their writing and the confidence to use language to make a positive difference in the world.
