Intent

At St Stephen's C of E Primary School, we believe that reading is fundamental to both education and life. We are committed to ensuring that every child becomes a fluent, confident reader who can understand, enjoy and respond thoughtfully to a wide range of texts. Through reading, pupils develop a lifelong love of books while gaining the knowledge, vocabulary and cultural understanding needed to flourish in an increasingly diverse world.

Our carefully sequenced reading curriculum begins with sharing high-quality books and the systematic teaching of early reading through phonics before developing fluent, independent readers who can think critically about what they read. Fully aligned with the National Curriculum, our curriculum ensures that knowledge, vocabulary and comprehension skills build progressively from EYFS to Year 6 through engaging, high-quality texts.

From Key Stage 2, we use the Destination Reader approach to develop fluency, comprehension and a love of reading. Through structured discussion and close analysis of texts, pupils learn to think deeply, justify their ideas using evidence and read with increasing understanding, enjoyment and purpose.

Implementation

Curriculum Progression

Our reading curriculum is carefully structured to develop confident, fluent readers at every stage of school.

In the Early Years, children develop early reading behaviours through sharing and discussing high-quality texts while beginning the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised phonics programme. They read fully decodable books that closely match their developing phonics knowledge.

In Year 1, pupils continue with Little Wandle alongside daily supported reading sessions to build fluency, accuracy and comprehension. In Year 2, phonics teaching continues where appropriate, alongside individual reading and a reduced Destination Reader programme to strengthen comprehension and independence.

In Key Stage 2, pupils follow the Destination Reader programme, developing fluency, vocabulary and deeper comprehension through rich, high-quality texts. Across the school, pupils take home carefully matched reading books to support regular reading practice and strengthen the partnership between home and school.

Phonics

We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme, which provides a clear, systematic approach to teaching early reading and writing. Children begin with Foundations for Phonics in Nursery before progressing through a carefully sequenced programme that builds securely on prior learning.

Regular review and practice help children retain and apply new learning, while Daily Keep-up, Rapid Catch-up and SEND interventions ensure every child receives the support needed to become a successful reader.

Key Concepts

Reading teaching focuses on developing:

• Word reading and fluency

• Vocabulary development

• Comprehension

• Reading for pleasure

• Speaking and listening

• Critical thinking and discussion

Pupils learn to decode accurately, read fluently, infer meaning, explain ideas, retrieve information and respond thoughtfully to increasingly challenging texts.

Impact

By the end of Year 6, pupils leave St Stephen's as fluent, confident and enthusiastic readers who are well prepared for the demands of the secondary curriculum and have developed a lifelong love of reading.

Our pupils will:

• Read fluently and confidently across a wide range of genres and subjects

• Apply decoding and comprehension strategies independently

• Develop a broad knowledge of authors, texts and literary traditions

• Discuss and justify their ideas using evidence from texts

• Make strong progress from their individual starting points

• Read for both purpose and pleasure

Assessment is ongoing through teacher assessment, guided reading, phonics assessments, fluency checks and comprehension activities. Clear progression from Reception to Year 6 ensures every child develops secure reading knowledge, fluency and comprehension before moving on to increasingly sophisticated texts.

Intent

At St Stephen's C of E Primary School, we believe every child should become an articulate communicator, imaginative writer, thoughtful reader and confident editor. Through our writing curriculum, pupils develop the knowledge, skills and creativity to express themselves with clarity, purpose and confidence across a range of genres, audiences and contexts.

Our carefully sequenced curriculum is fully aligned with the National Curriculum and is enriched through high-quality literature and meaningful cross-curricular experiences. Knowledge of transcription, grammar, composition and vocabulary builds progressively from EYFS to Year 6, enabling pupils to become accurate, independent and reflective writers who take pride in their work.

Implementation

Curriculum Progression

Our writing curriculum develops pupils' knowledge and skills through carefully planned sequences of learning. Writing is taught through high-quality whole-class lessons using the Talk for Writing approach, including text maps, boxing up, model texts, writing toolkits, scaffolds and short-burst writing to build confidence before independent application.

High-quality texts and engaging curriculum themes provide meaningful contexts for writing, enabling pupils to write for a range of real purposes and audiences while making connections across the wider curriculum.

Spelling, Grammar and Handwriting

Spelling is taught progressively using the statutory content from Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum. In Year 2, pupils continue Little Wandle Phonics before transitioning into spelling, while Key Stage 2 follows the No Nonsense Spelling programme. Where needed, targeted phonics and spelling interventions provide additional support.

Grammar and punctuation are taught within the context of writing so that pupils understand how language choices create meaning and impact. Teachers explicitly model the effective use of grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure through each writing unit.

Presentation is valued across the curriculum. Handwriting is taught through a progressive cursive scheme, enabling pupils to develop fluent, joined handwriting. Once this is consistently achieved, pupils are encouraged to write in black pen as recognition of their growing independence and pride in presentation.

Key Concepts

Learning is centred on:

• Composition

• Vocabulary development

• Grammar and punctuation

• Spelling

• Editing and improving

• Handwriting and presentation

Pupils are taught to plan, draft, evaluate and edit their work, becoming increasingly reflective and independent writers.

Cross-Curricular Links

Writing is embedded across the wider curriculum, giving pupils regular opportunities to apply their English skills in subjects such as history, geography, science and RE. Purposeful writing across the curriculum helps children deepen subject knowledge while developing confidence as communicators.

Impact

By the end of Year 6, pupils leave St Stephen's as articulate, confident and enthusiastic writers who can communicate effectively for a wide range of purposes and audiences. They are well prepared for the demands of secondary education and beyond.

Our pupils will:

• Write confidently across a wide range of genres, adapting language for different audiences and purposes

• Apply grammar, punctuation and spelling accurately and independently

• Use ambitious vocabulary to communicate ideas effectively

• Edit and improve their writing thoughtfully and independently

• Present their work with pride using fluent, joined handwriting

• Apply their writing skills confidently across the wider curriculum

Assessment is ongoing through independent writing, teacher assessment, spelling and grammar assessments, pupil conferencing and moderation. Clear progression from Reception to Year 6 ensures every child develops secure transcription, composition and communication skills before moving on to increasingly sophisticated writing.