English

The English curriculum at Christ Church School aims to develop children’s skills in reading, writing and speaking and listening in a robust and responsive way.  It also aims to develop a love of reading, writing and language which will last our children a lifetime and enable them to fulfil their potential once they leave us.

Reading

At Christ Church School, we are committed to ensuring that every child learns to read. Our aim is for all pupils to become fluent, confident and enthusiastic readers. Children are introduced to a rich variety of stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction which help to develop their empathy, grow their vocabulary, strengthen their language comprehension, and to foster a genuine love of reading. We strive to inspire all pupils to become life-long readers who take pleasure in books and show interest in a wide range of texts.

Reading for Pleasure continues to be a whole-school priority. We believe that a strong school-wide Reading for Pleasure culture must be intentionally planned for and actively promoted so that every child has the opportunity to develop a genuine desire to read.

For children to want to read, and to be able to access our rich and varied curriculum, they must first secure the essential skills needed for fluent and confident reading. Reading is placed at the centre of our curriculum and underpins every subject area here at Christ Church School. Pupils encounter high-quality texts throughout the school, which also form the foundation of their writing by providing strong language models and meaningful hooks into writing tasks. Children are immersed in stories through activities such as role play, real-life experiences and art, enabling them to develop deeper understanding and greater engagement with the texts.

In Early Years and Key Stage 1, this approach is further supported by a core book list. These books are read regularly so that children become familiar with them, allowing vocabulary and language patterns to become embedded in their own speech and writing. The core texts also provide a basis for play-based activities in the early years, where children can bring stories to life in their own way while still using the vocabulary and concepts from the books. The list also includes a range of nursery rhymes and poems so that the youngest pupils experience stories through rhythm, song and rhyme.

Early reading is taught through the systematic, synthetic phonics programme Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. From the beginning of Reception, children take part in daily phonics sessions following the Little Wandle progression. This continues into Years 1 and 2 to ensure they develop fluent reading skills.

Children in Reception and KS1 read fully decodable books with an adult during guided reading sessions, using Little Wandle Big Cat books as well as colour-banded texts. Phonically decodable books are banded by phonic step. As early reading is most effective when supported by decodable texts, the first books children take home are carefully matched to the phonics step they are working on, containing only the graphemes they have been taught so far. This ensures success, confidence and steady progress.

Writing 

At Christ Church School, writing is much more than putting words on a page – it is a way for children to think, create, and communicate. From Reception to Year 6, we help children build strong literacy skills while fostering a love of language, storytelling, and self-expression. Our aim is for every child to leave school as a confident, independent writer who can adapt their writing for different audiences and purposes.

Inspiring Writing Lessons

Our writing curriculum is designed around the National Curriculum objectives, ensuring that children develop the skills and knowledge they need at each stage. Lessons are planned to cover composition, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, transcription, and oracy, giving children the tools to write with confidence and clarity.

Children are inspired by a rich range of texts and visual media. We use the CLPE Power of Reading approach and the engaging short films and narratives from Literacy Shed to immerse pupils in language and ideas. Through these resources, children explore vocabulary, sentence structure, and authorial style before creating their own writing across different genres.

Our writing process encourages children to explore, plan, draft, edit, and publish their work, developing independence and a sense of pride in what they produce. Planning is carefully sequenced so that children build on prior learning while meeting the expectations set out in the National Curriculum.

Phonics and Early Writing

In the early years, children follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme to build strong phonics skills. This structured approach helps children decode and spell confidently, giving them the tools to write independently from the very beginning. We use Drawing Club, by a practitioner called Greg Bottrill to teach English. It brings the magic of story to life, whilst building fine motor skills, vocabulary and most importantly, imagination and excitement! Early writing opportunities are embedded throughout the day in reception and Year 1, supporting children to experiment with language, storytelling, and communication.

Handwriting

In early years and Year 1 we use Little Wandle handwriting. From Year 2 we use the Letter-Join scheme to teach children to write legibly and fluently. From learning correct letter formation to joining letters smoothly, children develop neat, confident handwriting that they carry into all their written work. Handwriting is practiced regularly and celebrated as an important part of learning to write well.

Spelling and Word Knowledge

Spelling is taught systematically and reinforced across all subjects. Children learn patterns, rules, and strategies to help them spell accurately and understand language. Key words are highlighted, practised, and applied in context, with extra support provided for those who need it. This approach ensures children develop strong transcription skills alongside their creative writing.