English Curriculum

 

Intent

 At Dunn Street Primary, our aim, aligned with the National Curriculum, is to ensure every child develops pride in high standards of language and literacy. We are committed to equipping all pupils with a strong command of spoken and written English and nurturing a genuine love of reading through frequent, enjoyable and meaningful exposure to literature.

As a small school serving a unique community, we recognise that our pupils have a wide range of starting points, strengths and needs. Our English curriculum is therefore designed to be inclusive, ambitious and accessible for every learner. We create a supportive environment where reading, writing and discussion are valued every day, and where all children—regardless of background, ability or learning need—can experience success and develop confidence as communicators.

Through high-quality teaching, adaptive practice and carefully scaffolded support, pupils grow in resilience, independence and belief in their ability to achieve. Reading widely and engaging with a rich variety of texts enables children to develop culturally, emotionally, socially and intellectually. We promote respectful collaboration between pupils and staff, ensuring all children can apply their growing literacy skills across the curriculum and in their daily lives.

At Dunn Street, all pupils will:

• Be supported to meet age-related expectations in reading, writing, speaking and spelling, with appropriate adaptations and personalised targets for those who need them.
• Access inclusive, high-quality teaching, using strategies such as visual aids, modelling, scaffolded tasks, pre-teaching, structured talk and multisensory resources to ensure everyone can participate.
• Engage with a wide and diverse range of texts, including different genres, cultures, formats and levels of complexity, ensuring every child can find something meaningful and enjoyable to read.
• Develop strong communication skills, supported through structured discussion, role play, sentence stems, vocabulary-rich environments and opportunities to practise language in real contexts.
• Write for a range of audiences and purposes, with access to word banks, writing frames, shared writing, and tools such as voice-to-text technology where helpful.
• Experience daily reading and writing, with additional practice or alternative approaches for pupils who require extra support.
• Build confidence and independence, developing their own writing voice and celebrating progress at every stage.
• Read fluently and with understanding, supported through high-quality phonics teaching using Read Write Inc., alongside targeted interventions for those who need further practice.
• Secure key knowledge of spelling, grammar and punctuation, taught in clear, small steps and applied purposefully in writing.
• Develop a lifelong love of reading, accessing books they enjoy, understand and can talk about with confidence.
• Take part in meaningful discussions, with structured opportunities to express ideas, listen to others, ask questions and build on different viewpoints.
• Take pride in their writing, presenting work clearly and to the best of their ability, with support for handwriting and motor skills when needed.

 

Implementation

At Dunn Street Primary, we promote a positive and inclusive culture of reading, writing and speaking where each element is valued, celebrated and woven throughout our curriculum. English learning is at the heart of our school, and children are prepared for their next steps through daily, high-quality lessons that develop spoken language, reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary. Skills learned in English are consistently transferred across other subjects, strengthening understanding and enabling pupils to communicate effectively in a range of contexts.

Teaching assistants are deployed strategically to ensure pupils receive targeted support, and learning is adapted where appropriate to meet diverse needs. Strong partnerships with our local secondary school, local library services and cultural organisations enrich our curriculum further. Dunn Street pupils also benefit from access to The National Centre for the Written Word, The Customs House, local theatres in Sunderland and Newcastle, and Seven Stories – The National Centre for Children’s Books. These cultural and experiential opportunities bring learning to life and provide meaningful contexts for reading and writing.

Speaking and Listening

At Dunn Street, speaking and listening are at the heart of everything we do. As a Voice 21 school, we believe that learning to talk and learning through talk develops strong oracy skills, which in turn support reading, writing, and essential life skills.

Our approach is guided by four strands: Physical, Linguistic, Cognitive, and Social & Emotional. Teachers model language, introduce sentence stems, build vocabulary, and provide structured opportunities for talk. Reading aloud—during English lessons, Guided Reading, and story times—helps pupils develop pace, passion and expressive communication.

Oracy is embedded across the curriculum. Pupils regularly share ideas, read their work aloud, and reflect on peers’ contributions. Talk for Writing strategies help pupils rehearse ideas before writing, while story mapping supports understanding and internalisation of narrative structures.

Class discussions, alongside constructive feedback from older pupils on clarity and confidence, help to further develop communication skills. Daily read-aloud sessions expose children to rich language and vocabulary while fostering a love of literature, inspiring them to become confident, articulate, and expressive communicators.

 

Reading

Reading is central to our English curriculum, and we strongly believe that writing is strengthened by fostering a love of reading. Pupils are encouraged to read widely and often through our reading band system, class libraries and dedicated reading spaces around the school. Story sharing is embedded in classroom practice, assemblies, author visits and trips to the library.

Dunn Street proudly takes part in national reading initiatives such as World Book Day to further promote reading for pleasure. Displays across school celebrate authors, whole-school texts and children’s reading achievements.

Reading is taught daily and reinforced through timetabled Guided Reading and Shared Reading sessions, which develop fluency, vocabulary, inference and comprehension across fiction and non-fiction. In Key Stage 2, targeted sessions improve reading efficiency, enabling pupils to engage more deeply with texts.

Home-school reading partnerships are supported through Reading Records.

Early Reading and Phonics

Early reading is nurtured from the very start. In Nursery and Reception, Phase 1 phonics focuses on developing listening skills, sound discrimination and oral blending, laying the groundwork for later decoding. From Reception to Year 4, pupils follow the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme, learning to decode using continuous blending to strengthen phoneme synthesis and early fluency. Regular assessments, led by our Phonics Lead, ensure pupils are accurately grouped and progress at a pace suited to their needs. Targeted interventions provide additional support, ensuring every child builds a strong foundation in reading.

Writing

At Dunn Street, our writing curriculum ensures that pupils develop the full range of skills set out in the 2025 Writing Framework. From Reception, pupils are taught to form letters correctly, develop fluent handwriting, and apply phonics-based spelling strategies, establishing strong transcription skills that allow them to focus on composition. Early writing is supported through structured oral rehearsal, modelled, shared, and guided writing, enabling pupils to plan, sequence, and articulate sentences before independent recording. Across Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils build on these foundations to compose increasingly complex texts with clarity, coherence, and purpose, applying accurate grammar, punctuation, and spelling. They are encouraged to write for a range of audiences and purposes across the curriculum, developing creativity and confidence as authors, poets, and communicators. Rigorous feedback, peer assessment, and opportunities to read work aloud support pupils in refining and improving their writing, while high-quality displays, model texts, and interactive resources reinforce writing standards and celebrate achievement. This structured, progressive approach ensures that all pupils meet or exceed national writing standards by the end of each key stage, fully aligning with statutory expectations.

Rigorous marking and constructive feedback support pupils in refining, editing and improving their work. Opportunities for pupils to read their writing aloud help build confidence and validate their efforts. Our school environment celebrates writing through high-quality displays, vocabulary walls, model texts and interactive resources that support independence and pride.

Assessment

Assessment is ongoing and central to effective English teaching at Dunn Street. Teachers gather information continuously through questioning, observation, verbal feedback and written responses. Writing moderation ensures consistency and accuracy across classes.

Assessment identifies both strengths and gaps, enabling teachers to tailor next steps and plan targeted interventions where progress is not yet secure. Information is shared with school leadership, shaping future curriculum development and ensuring that our English provision remains of the highest standard. Ultimately, assessment drives improvement for all pupils while supporting long-term progression across the school.

Impact

As a result of our intent and implementation, Dunn Street has developed a school community of confident, enthusiastic readers and writers. Pupils recognise their own progress, embrace challenges, and are confident to take risks in their learning. They celebrate their achievements and take pride in their successes, both as individuals and as part of the school community.

We strive to ensure that all pupils achieve in line with, or beyond, their potential, taking into account their diverse starting points. Progress is measured using a range of assessment tools, aligned with age-related expectations for each year group. Rigorous evaluation of these assessments allows teachers to identify gaps early and provide timely support, ensuring that pupils make at least good progress in reading, writing, speaking and listening from their previous statutory assessment points.

Ultimately, the impact of our English curriculum is that pupils leave Dunn Street with the skills, confidence, and love of language needed to succeed at the next stage of their education and beyond.

 

Our English Long Term Planning

 

blossoms english long term plan dunn street.pdf

 

magnificent 7 english long term plan.pdf

 

oaks english long term plan .pdf

 

the mighty oaks english long term plan.pdf

 

 

Phonics Intent 

Our primary goal is to ensure that every child develops strong foundational reading
skills, regardless of socioeconomic background. In a deprived area, many pupils may
start school with limited exposure to spoken and written language, which can hinder
long-term academic success. Our intent is to:

• Provide a structured, systematic approach to phonics using the Read Write
  Inc. (RWI) programme to develop decoding and blending skills.
• Foster a love of reading and language through access to a rich variety of
  texts.
• Close the literacy gap early, ensuring children leave early years with age-appropriate reading abilities.
• Equip children with the confidence and strategies to independently read, comprehend, and engage with a broad curriculum.