English curriculum intent
At Heathcote, our vision for teaching English is grounded in the belief that every child, by the time they leave in Year 6, should be equipped with the skills to navigate and thrive in the world around them. We are committed to ensuring that all of our children can read, write, speak confidently, and understand the power and structure of language. These fundamental skills are not just tools for academic success—they are the keys to a lifetime of learning, self-expression, and personal growth.
However, our ambition goes beyond simply building these essential skills. We strive to ignite a lifelong love for literature, foster a passion for storytelling, and inspire our children to write and read not just for learning, but for the pure joy of it. We aim to cultivate a deep desire in our pupils to pick up a book, to immerse themselves in its pages, and to experience the triumph of finishing a novel—finding not only satisfaction in their achievements but also a sense of wonder in the journey.
Our English curriculum is thoughtfully designed to nurture both conceptual understanding and knowledge. With a clear focus on the National Curriculum Programmes of Study and end-of-year expectations, we plan with precision to ensure that every child’s progress builds on what they’ve already learned. Through progression documents, teachers can scaffold skills and understanding, empowering each pupil to grow steadily and confidently. Our goal is to challenge, inspire, and enable mastery, ensuring that every learning sequence is both engaging and enriching, so our children don’t just succeed—they thrive.
English curriculum implementation
Our implementation strategy for teaching English at Heathcote is designed to provide a cohesive and dynamic approach to reading, writing and spoken language ensuring that every child has the skills and confidence to succeed.
For early reading, we follow the Read Write Inc. phonics scheme, which provides a structured and systematic approach to teaching phonics. This ensures that all children, from the very beginning of their reading journey, are equipped with the foundational skills to decode and comprehend texts. (For more information about our phonics scheme click here). As children become more confident readers, we teach them how to use VIPERS (Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval, and Summarising) to further develop their reading skills and deepen their comprehension. We also use carefully selected key texts in our English lessons, which reflect a diverse range of authors, cultures, and themes, ensuring that our children are exposed to a wide variety of literature that enriches their understanding of the world.
In writing, we follow the Progression Through Genres booklet, written by Jane Considine. This resource guides our teaching through a clear and structured approach, allowing children to develop their writing skills across different genres, with a focus on creativity, expression, and technical accuracy. We also place great emphasis on handwriting, following the guidance provided by Letterjoin, to ensure that children develop neat, legible, and fluid handwriting from an early age.
Our spelling instruction follows the No Nonsense Spelling programme, providing children with a consistent, research-based approach to mastering spelling patterns and rules. This structured program helps children to become confident and independent spellers, ready to apply their skills in their writing.
Finally, we place a strong emphasis on spoken language, prioritising opportunities for talk and oracy throughout the curriculum. We believe that developing speaking and listening skills is key to unlocking children's potential across all areas of learning. From discussions to debates, presentations to collaborative work, children are encouraged to articulate their ideas clearly and confidently, fostering a love for language and effective communication.
We are committed to ensuring that every pupil makes good progress in English. To support this, we rapidly implement interventions whenever needed, ensuring that any gaps in learning are swiftly addressed. Our English provision is closely monitored through regular lesson drop-ins, book scrutinies, and by gathering stakeholder voice from both staff and pupils. This ensures that teaching is of the highest quality and that we are responsive to the needs of all learners, continuously striving for improvement and success.
This comprehensive approach ensures that every child at Heathcote not only gains the core English skills they need but also develops a passion for reading, writing, and speaking that will last a lifetime.
At Heathcote Primary, our English curriculum equips all pupils with the core skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening, fostering both academic success and personal growth. It is fully aligned with the National Curriculum and meets Ofsted’s expectations for a broad, balanced, and ambitious education.
Our approach ensures that all learners, including those with SEND and from disadvantaged backgrounds, make strong progress. Pupils develop into fluent readers who enjoy a wide range of texts and engage deeply with language. Early reading is supported through systematic phonics, and a rich reading culture is embedded across the school.
Pupils write with increasing accuracy and creativity, confidently adapting their language to suit different purposes and audiences. Oracy is promoted throughout, helping children build communication skills, self-confidence, and the ability to think critically.
Overall, our English curriculum creates literate, articulate, and reflective learners who are prepared to thrive across the wider curriculum and in their future learning.
