English

Our Mission Statement

At St Chad’s we grow in the light of Christ, to share his love and reflect the gospel values

Through the teaching of English, the children will live the mission statement by being able to listen to the spoken word attentively with understanding, pleasure and empathy; be able to express themselves creatively and imaginatively and to communicate with each other effectively; to be able to, through engagement with the Gospel, learn about themselves, each other and the world.

Our Vision

At St Chad’s, we place great emphasis on developing strong speaking and listening skills. We aim for all our children to become clear and confident communicators, setting them up for success as both readers and writers. We foster a love of reading by using high-quality texts and engaging topics that inspire young learners. English sits at the heart of our curriculum, enriching a broad and balanced learning experience.

Reading

Early reading is supported through the Floppy Phonics scheme, a structured and engaging programme that helps children develop essential reading skills from the outset. This rigorous approach ensures that children learn to read quickly and with confidence.

From Year 2 to Year 6, we follow the RWI Spelling programme, an interactive and engaging scheme designed to teach spelling rules in a fun and memorable way. Each unit begins with a short video introduction, helping children to recognise common spelling patterns, apply key rules, and understand exceptions. The National Curriculum spelling lists are divided into year groups, and children are assessed termly.

At ST CHAD’S, we use the Oxford Reading Tree scheme throughout Early Years, Key Stage 1, and Key Stage 2. New EYFS parents are introduced to Floppy Phonics and shown how to correctly pronounce letter sounds. As children progress through the reading scheme, they are heard reading regularly in school to support their development.

Alongside structured reading programmes, children are encouraged to choose books independently from either their classroom book corners or the school library, fostering a love of reading for pleasure.

How We Teach Reading

Reading is embedded across all areas of learning at St Chad’s. Children engage with reading in various ways:

• One-to-One Reading: Teachers and teaching assistants regularly listen to children read on an individual basis, providing valuable guidance and support.
• Whole Class Reading: Teachers model fluent and expressive reading while guiding children through high-quality texts. Discussion is encouraged to enhance comprehension and enjoyment. We also use Reader’s Theatre as a strategy to develop reading fluency and confidence.
• Guided Reading: In EYFS and Year 1, small-group guided reading sessions take place weekly, with teaching assistants and class teachers working with children of similar reading abilities. These sessions focus on comprehension skills such as decoding, inference, and deduction.

Reading for Pleasure

Our Reading for Pleasure strategies are based on the Open University’s ‘Teachers as Readers’ project. Across the school, we have created welcoming social reading environments that invite children to explore books in a relaxed and engaging way. Every classroom has a dedicated reading area, and each year group has a carefully selected range of books to ensure a breadth of reading experiences.

We deliver whole-class reading sessions every day.  We incorporate high-quality children’s literature to deepen engagement and understanding with reading.

Children will have their core book read to them every day for 15mins.  High-quality books introduce children to rich and varied vocabulary, complex sentence structures, and expressive language that they might not encounter in everyday conversations.  Hearing a story read aloud allows children to focus on understanding the meaning, rather than struggling with decoding words.

Reading Support & Interventions

For additional reading support, we use:

• Project Code X – a targeted intervention that develops both phonics and comprehension skills.
• Reading Plus – an adaptive reading programme designed for all Key Stage 2 children, helping to develop fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.

Writing

In EYFS, we focus on developing gross and fine motor skills as a foundation for writing. Children build strength and coordination through outdoor activities such as climbing, cycling, and ball games, as well as through structured PE lessons.

Fine motor development is supported through engaging activities such as:

• Playdough, clay, and salt dough manipulation
• Threading beads, pasta, and other small objects
• Pipette colour-mixing activities
• Tweezer-based sorting games
• Pattern tracing and letter formation practice

We also encourage mark-making across the learning environment by providing different writing tools and backing paper in various areas. ‘Dough Disco’ sessions further support hand strength and coordination through fun, music-led activities.

Developing Writing Skills

As children progress, we follow Pie Corbett’s writing progression, ensuring a structured approach to sentence construction and writing development. We also incorporate Alan Peat’s sentence structures to help children build more varied and effective writing styles.

We encourage children to take responsibility for editing and improving their writing, as this approach enhances their understanding of self-correction and fosters greater independence in their learning.