English
Reading & Phonics Leads – Hannah Cole & Abby Diot
We believe that reading is the foundation for learning. Phonics equips children with the skills to decode text confidently, enabling them to read with fluency, comprehension, and enjoyment. Above all, we want every child to become a lover of reading, inspired by stories, ideas, and the written word.
From the very start, children are immersed in Little Wandle Letters and Sounds, a systematic phonics programme used across both schools. Children learn the phonetic code explicitly and apply it when reading and writing. Children take home reading books that match their developing phonics knowledge, alongside library books to share and enjoy with their families, and in Key Stage 2 a text from the Accelerated Reader scheme too.
We provide many opportunities for children to read with adults and peers, developing reading skills through one-to-one, guided, shared, and whole-class reading. High-quality texts are carefully chosen to reflect a range of characters, cultures and settings, supporting learning across the curriculum and fostering rich discussion and curiosity. Each year group follows a curated reading spine, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry, to ensure that all children encounter a wide variety of high-quality texts.
Reading is given top priority in the school day, with structured time for reading activities every day. For children who require additional support, targeted interventions such as Little Wandle Rapid Catch Up, Literacy for All, and specialist phonics teacher to ensure that all children develop strong reading skills.
We enrich our reading curriculum with library sessions, author visits, book clubs, book fairs, World Book Day celebrations, and school-specific initiatives like the book vending machine at Stoughton and Accelerated Reader at Northmead. These experiences help children towards developing a lifelong love of reading.
Useful Links
Writing Leads – Shane Vickery, Jo Backhurst & Rachel Horton
Writing Curriculum
Our writing curriculum is designed to ensure that all children leave Stoughton Infant School and Northmead Junior School as confident, creative and capable writers. We want children to be imaginative storytellers, fluent and accurate in transcription, and able to write clearly and coherently for a range of purposes and audiences. Above all, we aim to foster a lifelong love of writing and enjoyment in expressing ideas through the written word.
From Nursery to Year 2, children are immersed in Talk for Writing, with Drawing Club introduced in Reception to develop imagination, oral language and story structure. Through daily storytelling, drama, and shared writing, children learn how stories work and how ideas are shaped into written form. Teachers act as expert models, explicitly demonstrating the writing process and supporting children to develop confidence and independence.
Children learn to compose both fiction and non-fiction using a range of familiar structures (such as journey stories), enabling them to organise ideas effectively and engage the reader. Grammar is taught explicitly within meaningful Talk for Writing contexts so that children understand how language choices impact meaning and cohesion. Spelling is taught through Active Spelling and builds securely on strong phonics knowledge and includes the teaching of statutory spelling patterns and common exception words.
At Northmead, children build on these firm foundations through a text-based writing curriculum encompassing fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Carefully chosen high-quality texts support pupils in developing a rich vocabulary, an appreciation of language and an understanding of different writing styles and purposes. Elements of Talk for Writing continue to be used, particularly within non-fiction units, allowing pupils to imitate effective language and structures before innovating and creating their own writing.
Across both schools, writing units follow a clear and consistent sequence of imitation, innovation and independent application. Pupils are immersed in reading, talk and purposeful preparation for writing, ensuring they have the knowledge, language and confidence needed to write successfully.
Writing is valued as a vital life skill, and pupils are given frequent opportunities to apply their writing across the wider curriculum. This ensures that writing is meaningful, purposeful and transferable, preparing children well for the next stage of their education and for life beyond school.
Spelling
Handwriting
Useful Links