Curriculum and Teaching

What are children learning?

At St Wilfrid’s, English is at the heart of our curriculum and provides the foundation for learning across all areas. We aim to deliver a stimulating, engaging and well-developed English curriculum that enables pupils to strengthen and apply their literacy skills across the wider curriculum. Our ambition is for every child to communicate their thoughts, ideas and opinions confidently, clearly and eloquently, both orally and in writing. We recognise that these skills are essential in preparing children for their future lives and enabling them to achieve their full potential.

At St Wilfrid’s, staff understand the importance of recognising and responding to the individual needs of all learners, including vulnerable children and those requiring additional support. Ongoing formative assessment plays a key role in helping teachers identify these needs. Assessment is used routinely to inform planning and teaching, ensuring that English lessons are adapted to provide appropriate challenge, support and opportunities for progress. We recognise that every child has a unique learning journey, with individual starting points and experiences. Therefore, progress is measured against each child’s baseline information, allowing all pupils to recognise their achievements, celebrate their successes and strive to be the best they can be.

English at St Wilfrid’s extends far beyond the daily English lesson; it is an integral part of our entire curriculum. Literacy skills are developed and reinforced across every subject, with high expectations for the quality of spoken and written English throughout school. Through exposure to high-quality and diverse texts, vocabulary-rich learning environments, and a clear focus on the progression of knowledge and skills outlined within the curriculum, pupils experience a language-rich, imaginative and continuous approach to English.

Our aim is for every child to develop strong literacy skills while also nurturing a genuine love of reading, writing and effective communication. Through purposeful opportunities to read, write, speak and listen, pupils will develop the confidence and skills needed to become successful, articulate and enthusiastic learners.

How are children learning?

To support our intended outcomes, pupils at St Wilfrid’s have a dedicated one-hour English lesson each day. Alongside this, children take part in thirty minutes of guided reading daily. Across the week, these sessions provide regular opportunities for pupils to develop reading fluency, build confidence and strengthen a range of comprehension skills. Children also participate in daily morning fluency activities, dedicated spelling lessons and regular opportunities to practise and develop a fluent, legible handwriting style.

At St Wilfrid’s, we recognise the significant role that reading plays in enriching children’s learning and understand the strong relationship between motivated, confident readers and successful writers. High-quality texts are therefore at the centre of our English curriculum, providing a shared stimulus through which children can become fully immersed in reading while developing a clear understanding of the relationship between reading and writing. Through the wide range of reading opportunities available across the school, we have developed a strong culture of reading. Children are encouraged to read widely and with enthusiasm, exposing them to rich vocabulary, varied ideas and different perspectives. These experiences subsequently support and enhance their writing, while also broadening their understanding of the wider curriculum.

Our feedback policy further supports the development of high standards of literacy throughout the school. Key aspects of English, including spelling, punctuation and grammar, remain a consistent focus when responding to children’s work, not only within English lessons but across all areas of the curriculum. High expectations for the presentation are also maintained. By regularly monitoring children’s basic skills and the quality of their presentation, pupils are encouraged to take pride in their work and communicate their ideas confidently and effectively across different subjects. We believe that these high expectations are fundamental in enabling every child to make strong progress and achieve their individual potential.

Teachers use assessment and feedback on a daily basis to monitor progress and identify appropriate next steps for learning. English teaching at St Wilfrid’s is carefully adapted to meet the needs of individual pupils, with children frequently working in smaller, flexible groups to receive targeted teaching and support. Teacher and teaching assistant expertise is used effectively within lessons, with staff moving between groups according to the needs of the learners. This ensures that pupils receive timely, high-quality feedback and intervention, enabling them to address misconceptions, develop their skills and make meaningful progress both within individual lessons and over time.

Consistency across the school is fundamental to achieving high standards in English. A clear progression of knowledge and skills from Key Stage 1 through to Key Stage 2 ensures that teaching meets the expectations of the National Curriculum and that learning builds systematically over time. Reading, alongside the explicit teaching of spelling, punctuation and grammar, is consistently used to develop and enhance children’s writing. As a result, pupils develop a secure understanding of the writing process and are able to apply their knowledge and skills across a range of subjects and contexts.

Regular monitoring by subject and senior leaders ensures that pupils are receiving appropriate and age-related teaching, while collaborative moderation supports the accuracy and consistency of teacher assessment in reading and writing. This shared approach ensures that expectations remain high across the school and that all children are supported to develop as confident, capable and successful readers and writers.

How do we assess the progress children make?

The impact of a well-planned, engaging and ambitious English curriculum is evident across the school. Our pupils are increasingly articulate, motivated and confident, with strong progress being made not only in English but across the wider curriculum. All groups of learners are supported to make progress through a highly personalised approach to teaching, where every child is recognised as an individual and is encouraged, valued and nurtured to achieve their full potential.

The writing process is firmly embedded and consistently taught across both key stages, enabling children to develop confidence and independence as writers. By the time pupils reach upper Key Stage 2, they are familiar with a wide range of genres and writing styles. This allows teaching to move beyond the basic structure of writing and place greater emphasis on creativity, developing the writer’s craft, producing sustained pieces of writing and making increasingly purposeful choices about grammar and punctuation.

The consistent focus on fundamental English skills and high expectations for presentation from Year 1 onwards ensures that pupils enter Key Stage 2 with well-developed handwriting and a secure understanding of the essential components of English. These skills are then applied across the wider curriculum, with focused feedback and marking helping to maintain high standards throughout the school. As a result, children are able to take pride in their work and are supported to produce work of the highest standard they can achieve.

English is embedded throughout the curriculum, resulting in strong opportunities for purposeful cross-curricular writing. Skills and knowledge developed during English lessons are regularly transferred and applied across other subjects, demonstrating pupils’ ability to consolidate their learning and develop a secure understanding of how and when to use particular spelling, grammar and punctuation skills.

As children continue along their educational journey, our aspiration is that they take with them a lasting enthusiasm for English, a strong sense of creativity and the confidence to aim high. We want every pupil to continue developing their skills, embracing new challenges and striving to achieve their very best.