At Steyning CofE Primary School, we provide a rich and inspiring English curriculum that develops children's reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Our curriculum ensures that all pupils become confident, articulate communicators who love reading and can express themselves effectively through writing from EYFS through to Year 6.

English education helps children:

• Develop a love of reading and literature
• Become confident, fluent readers
• Express themselves clearly and creatively through writing
• Communicate effectively in speaking and listening
• Build vocabulary and understanding of language
• Access learning across all subjects
• Prepare for future learning and life

Our English curriculum is built on several key principles:

• Reading for pleasure- fostering a love of books and reading
• Rich texts- using high-quality literature as the foundation for learning
• Systematic phonics- teaching children to read through daily phonics lessons
• Talk for Writing- using actions and oral rehearsal to support writing
• Real purposes- writing for authentic audiences and purposes
• Explicit teaching- clear instruction in grammar, punctuation and spelling
• Regular practice- building fluency through consistent reading and writing

Reading at Steyning

Phonics (EYFS and Key Stage 1)

We teach phonics systematically through daily phonics lessons using a structured programme. Children learn:

• Individual letter sounds and letter formation
• Blending sounds to read words
• Segmenting words for spelling
• Reading and spelling common exception words (tricky words)
• Applying phonics skills to read books matched to their phonics knowledge

Phonics Screening Check: All Year 1 children take the national phonics screening check in June.

Reading Skills Progression

Throughout their time at Steyning, children develop:

EYFS:

• Developing phonological awareness
• Reading individual letters by saying sounds
• Blending sounds to read simple words
• Enjoying and engaging with stories
• Understanding and answering questions about stories

Years 1 & 2:

• Applying phonics knowledge to decode words
• Reading with fluency and expression
• Understanding what they read
• Making inferences about characters and events
• Predicting what might happen
• Discussing favourite words and phrases
• Answering questions about texts

Years 3 & 4:

• Reading a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays and non-fiction
• Using dictionaries to check meanings
• Making inferences and justifying with evidence
• Predicting from stated and implied details
• Identifying main ideas and summarising
• Discussing words and phrases that capture the reader's interest
• Retrieving and recording information from non-fiction

Years 5 & 6:

• Reading a broad range of genres and texts
• Recommending books and giving reasons for choices
• Learning poetry by heart
• Making comparisons within and across books
• Drawing inferences and justifying with evidence
• Predicting from details stated and implied
• Summarising main ideas from multiple paragraphs
• Identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
• Discussing and evaluating authors' use of language
• Distinguishing between fact and opinion

Reading for Pleasure

We prioritise reading for pleasure through:

• Daily story time- teachers read aloud to children every day
• Class libraries- well-stocked with engaging, diverse books
• School library visits- regular opportunities to choose books
• Author visits- meeting real authors and illustrators
• Book recommendations- sharing favourite books with peers
• Reading challenges- encouraging children to read widely
• World Book Day- celebrating books and reading

Writing at Steyning

Writing Purposes

Children write for three main purposes:

• Writing to Entertain- Stories, poetry, descriptions, narratives
• Writing to Inform- Reports, instructions, explanations, recounts
• Writing to Persuade/Discuss- Letters, speeches, arguments, balanced arguments

Key Texts and Writing

Our English curriculum is built around high-quality texts that inspire writing. Examples include:

EYFS:

• Lost and Found, The Gingerbread Man, The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Years 1 & 2:

• The Jolly Postman, The Great Fire of London, Journey, Room on the Broom, Super Duper You, Sweep, The Smartest Giant in Town, Little Red Riding Hood

Years 3 & 4:

• The Day the Crayons Came Home, Volcano! texts, The World's Best Book of Riddles, Fantastic Mr Fox, A Squash and a Squeeze, Flotsam, Stone Age Boy, Pugs of the Frozen North, The Great Kapok Tree

Years 5 & 6:

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, A Christmas Carol, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Greek myths, Arthur and the Golden Rope, Viking Boy, The Fox who Stole the Moon, Ancient Egyptian texts

Writing Skills Progression

EYFS:

• Mark making and letter formation
• Writing simple sentences with capital letters, finger spaces and full stops
• Labelling pictures and characters
• Simple story sequences

Years 1 & 2:

• Sentence construction with capital letters, finger spaces and full stops
• Using adjectives and expanded noun phrases
• Using suffixes (-ed, -ing, -er, -est)
• Using conjunctions (and, because, but, or, when, if, that)
• Using question marks and exclamation marks
• Past and present tense
• Possessive apostrophes
• Time connectives
• Descriptive writing, instructions, poetry, recounts, letters

Years 3 & 4:

• Organising paragraphs around a theme
• Using a wider range of conjunctions
• Using adverbs and prepositions
• Using inverted commas for direct speech
• Using apostrophes for possession and contraction
• Fronted adverbials
• Expanded noun phrases with modifying adjectives
• Narrative writing, non-chronological reports, instructions, persuasive letters, diary entries, poetry

Years 5 & 6:

• Using relative clauses
• Using modal verbs
• Using passive voice
• Using colons, semi-colons and dashes
• Using hyphens
• Formal and informal writing
• Cohesion within and across paragraphs
• Narrative writing, balanced arguments, persuasive speeches, information texts, poetry, character profiles, monologues

Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling

We teach grammar, punctuation and spelling:

• Explicitly- through dedicated lessons
• In context- within reading and writing
• Progressively- building on prior learning each year
• Practically- through engaging activities and games

Spelling

We follow a systematic spelling programme, teaching spelling patterns, rules and strategies. Children learn to spell:

• Common exception words (tricky words)
• Words with particular spelling patterns
• Words from the statutory spelling lists
• Subject-specific vocabulary

Speaking and Listening

We develop children's spoken language through:

• Class discussions- sharing ideas and opinions
• Drama and role-play- exploring characters and situations
• Presentations- speaking to an audience
• Debates- presenting arguments and counter-arguments
• Storytelling- retelling and creating stories orally
• Performances- school productions, assemblies, poetry recitals

Handwriting

We teach handwriting systematically:

• EYFS & Year 1: Letter formation, correct pencil grip, sitting correctly
• Year 2: Joining letters, consistent size and spacing
• Years 3-6: Developing fluency, speed and a personal style, using pen when ready

Enrichment

We enhance our English curriculum through:

• Library visits- regular visits to the school and local library
• Author visits- meeting real authors and illustrators
• Poetry performances- reciting and performing poetry
• Book Week- celebrating books and reading
• Writing competitions- entering local and national competitions
• Class assemblies- opportunities to perform and present
• Productions- Christmas, Easter and Year 6 leavers' productions
• Storytelling sessions- visiting storytellers and drama groups

Supporting Your Child's English Learning

You can support your child's English development at home by:

Reading:

• Read together every day- even just 10 minutes makes a huge difference
• Talk about books- discuss characters, events, predictions and favourite parts
• Visit the library- choose books together regularly
• Be a reading role model- let them see you reading for pleasure
• Read a variety of texts- fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics, magazines
• Listen to them read- be patient and encouraging, help with tricky words
• Ask questions- check understanding and encourage deeper thinking
• Enjoy books together- make reading a special, enjoyable time

Writing:

• Encourage writing for real purposes- shopping lists, letters, thank you cards, diaries
• Provide writing materials- notebooks, pens, pencils, paper readily available
• Celebrate their writing- display it, share it with family, keep special pieces
• Write together- model writing, share ideas, write collaboratively
• Don't worry about mistakes- focus on ideas first, then help with corrections
• Encourage different types- stories, poems, instructions, letters, reports

Speaking and Listening:

• Have conversations- talk about their day, their interests, current events
• Ask open questions- encourage them to explain and elaborate
• Listen actively- show genuine interest in what they say
• Extend vocabulary- introduce new words in context
• Play word games- rhyming games, I-spy, 20 questions
• Tell stories together- take turns adding to a story

Phonics and Spelling (EYFS and KS1):

• Practice sounds- use phonics resources sent home
• Read phonics books- books matched to their phonics knowledge
• Sound out words- encourage them to blend sounds to read
• Segment words- break words into sounds for spelling
• Practice tricky words- regular, short practice sessions
• Make it fun- games, songs, actions to learn sounds and words

Grammar and Punctuation:

• Point out features in books- notice speech marks, question marks, etc.
• Play with sentences- make silly sentences, extend sentences
• Correct gently- model correct grammar without over-correcting
• Use correct terminology- noun, verb, adjective, etc. when appropriate

For detailed curriculum maps showing exactly what your child will learn each term, please see our separate curriculum Long Term Plan documents on the website.

Click here for government guidance on how parents can support children to read

National Curriculum Programme of Study: English