English Curriculum

Our English curriculum is built upon our four core values: Faith, Pride, Challenge and Success. We are committed to fostering a love of language and literature through an ambitious curriculum rooted in high-quality texts. These carefully selected texts form the foundation of our teaching, inspiring pupils and providing rich models from which they learn to write with creativity, precision and confidence.

Through expert teaching and a carefully sequenced approach, children develop the skills needed to produce engaging, technically accurate and sustained pieces of writing by the end of each unit. Writing is purposeful and meaningful, with grammar, punctuation and language choices taught in context to ensure deep understanding rather than surface learning.

Reading is at the heart of our curriculum. Pupils are taught to read fluently and with understanding, developing strong comprehension skills through discussion, analysis and thoughtful questioning. By immersing children in high-quality literature, we broaden their vocabulary, strengthen their cultural capital and nurture a lifelong love of reading.

Through English, pupils at St. Mary’s develop their voice — learning to articulate their ideas clearly, express themselves creatively and communicate effectively with others. Rooted in our values, we challenge every child to take pride in their work, persevere in their learning and achieve success as confident readers, writers and communicators.

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Reading

Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and underpins success across all subjects. At St. Mary’s, we aim to foster a lifelong love of reading by immersing pupils in a diverse range of high-quality texts, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Children are taught to read fluently, accurately and with expression, while developing strong comprehension skills. Through carefully structured lessons, pupils learn to retrieve information, infer meaning, summarise ideas and analyse an author’s language and intent. High-quality class texts broaden vocabulary, strengthen cultural capital and expose children to rich and varied language.

We encourage pupils to take pride in their reading, challenge themselves with ambitious texts and develop the confidence to discuss and reflect thoughtfully on what they have read.

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Writing

Our writing curriculum is rooted in high-quality texts that inspire creativity and provide strong models of language and structure. Each unit of work builds towards the production of an extended, purposeful piece of writing, enabling children to apply their skills with independence and confidence.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling are taught explicitly and in context, ensuring that pupils understand how technical accuracy enhances communication. Children are supported to write with clarity, cohesion and ambition, carefully considering audience and purpose.

Through drafting, editing and refining their work, pupils develop resilience and pride in their achievements. We challenge every child to strive for excellence and to see themselves as capable, successful writers.

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Oracy and Communication

Spoken language is fundamental to learning and development. We provide regular opportunities for pupils to articulate their ideas, participate in discussion and present their thinking with clarity and confidence.

Through structured talk, debate and collaborative learning, children learn to listen respectfully, respond thoughtfully and build on the ideas of others. Developing strong oracy skills enables pupils to express their faith, values and viewpoints with confidence and respect.

By nurturing effective communicators, we equip our children with the skills they need to succeed not only in school, but in the wider world.