English

Reading statement of intent

At St Peter’s, reading is at the heart of our curriculum. We aim for every child to leave primary school as a fluent, confident reader who can access all subjects and is well-prepared for secondary education.

Throughout their primary years, pupils experience a carefully chosen selection of quality texts linked to wider curriculum topics. Through reading, enjoyment, and discussion, they make meaningful connections in learning and commit knowledge to long-term memory.

Each year group is exposed to a wide variety of authors and poets, both classic and contemporary, to inspire children and help them make independent reading choices. Our texts span fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and playscripts, all rich in vocabulary. Shared reading is central to our approach, with frequent opportunities for children to read and be read to throughout the school day.

Our aims are to:

• Develop children’s knowledge of the world.
• Establish a culture of reading for pleasure that motivates children to make positive choices and build lasting reading habits.
• Support knowledge acquisition across the curriculum and embed it into long-term memory.
• Improve reading outcomes for all learners, including those with SEND and from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Implementation

Early Reading
In nursery, children begin with Phase 1 phonics, exploring environmental sounds. They meet phonics characters in preparation for Reception and enjoy ‘cosy club’, a dedicated reading space. Each week, they study a ‘Book of the Week’, exploring characters, settings, and vocabulary, alongside a traditional tale each half-term to encourage retelling. New vocabulary is introduced weekly, displayed in the environment, and reinforced through questioning (Who? Where? What? When?).

Phonics
In Early Years and Key Stage 1, phonics underpins early reading. Using the accredited programme Supersonic Phonic Friends, teachers deliver daily lessons supported by rhymes that connect sounds, letters, and graphemes. Where children need additional support, tailored interventions take place in class or in small groups. Phonics teaching continues into Key Stage 2 for those requiring it.

Guided Reading and Class Readers
Alongside phonics, comprehension is taught through whole-class guided reading sessions using high-quality texts linked to writing and wider topics. Children read aloud daily, using strategies such as echo-reading and paired reading to build fluency. Sessions develop skills including retrieval, inference, prediction, summarising, and vocabulary.

Vocabulary instruction is a priority: new words are introduced at the start of each session and reinforced across reading and writing activities.

Every half-term, each class reads a novel selected to excite and challenge pupils, broadening their vocabulary. Reading at home is strongly encouraged, with recognition for commitment and parent workshops to support families. Children also take STAR reader assessments each term, which guide book choices. Completed texts are followed by Accelerated Reader quizzes to assess comprehension.

Impact

By the end of Year 6, we expect every child to be an independent, enthusiastic reader who can access a broad range of texts. We see reading as the foundation for all learning and aim to instil a lifelong love of books. Beyond statutory assessments, our reading curriculum develops cultural capital and equips children for success both in school and beyond.

The writing curriculum

At St Peter’s Primary School, we recognise that many children enter our Early Years with significantly underdeveloped speech and language skills. We address this immediately through targeted interventions such as the Welcomm programme and the use of Blank Level questioning, which help close the language gap and lay essential foundations for future success in writing. Children in the early years are given many opportunities within provision for fine and gross motor development. Staff in the early years also provide guided writing opportunities where they can target children and provide provision teaching to develop early writing skills.

When children enter key stage 1, there is a renewed focus on early writing skills which ensures that children are secure in sentence construction, grammar, spelling, and transcription before they move on to writing genres and genre skills. Children still use a key text as a stimulus for the teaching of foundational skills but the teaching and learning process ensures that children aren’t being moved on too quickly. This focus on firm foundations enables the children to thrive as they progress through Key Stage 2.

Our writing curriculum is built around high-quality texts, which serve as models for teaching grammar, genre conventions, and vocabulary in context. Each unit of work follows a consistent, research-informed sequence:

1.     Immersion in text and genre analysis

2.     Explicit grammar and genre teaching

3.     Planning and drafting

4.     Writing and editing

5.     Feedback and reflection

We have high expectations for all learners, including those with SEN and disadvantaged backgrounds. All children access the writing curriculum at their appropriate level of ability, with scaffolding and challenge carefully planned to ensure progress for all.

Across the curriculum, there are extensive planned opportunities for purposeful writing in foundation subjects, allowing children to consolidate and apply their writing skills in meaningful contexts. This cross-curricular approach also supports the incidental committing of knowledge to long-term memory, deepening understanding in both writing and subject content.

We place a strong emphasis on competent spelling and handwriting in all areas of learning. Spelling is taught through the No Nonsense Spelling scheme, which has been thoughtfully adapted to meet the specific needs of our pupils. Handwriting is consistently modelled, practised, and expected to a high standard across all subjects.

To support progression, we have clear Foundational Knowledge Outcomes for Key Stages 1 and 2, outlining the core writing skills children are expected to master by the end of each year. These outcomes guide planning, teaching, and assessment, ensuring consistency and high-quality provision.

Our curriculum also provides opportunities for children to write for pleasure, for example during Poetry Week  and World Book Day. These experiences foster a genuine love of writing and help children to develop their author’s voice when writing.

There is a vast and deliberate focus on vocabulary development, with children being explicitly taught ambitious and subject-specific vocabulary, and given frequent opportunities to apply it within their writing.

We are currently developing the role of oracy within our curriculum, providing children with structured opportunities to develop and use spoken language effectively to support their writing and overall communication.

Our writing curriculum is informed by the latest research, including findings from the Ofsted Research Review for Writing and the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). These insights shape our practice and drive ongoing improvements to ensure the best outcomes for our children.

At St Peter’s, our ambition is clear: to nurture confident, competent, and enthusiastic writers who leave primary school ready to write fluently, purposefully, and with enjoyment in secondary school and beyond. Through rich experiences, expert teaching, and a celebration of writing, we aspire to develop a community of young authors who are inspired by the writers they read – and inspired to become writers themselves.