At Pirbright Village Primary School we recognise that English unites the important skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. We recognise these as life skills, which enable us to make sense of the world. We aim for all children to become confident communicators as well as critical readers and writers with a capacity to express themselves through a variety of different literary activities.

Reading

Pirbright Village Primary School is committed to ensuring that every child learns to read. We want our children to become fluent, confident readers who enjoy books and read for pleasure. Throughout their time with us, children are immersed in a rich variety of stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction texts to develop their vocabulary, deepen language comprehension, and foster a genuine love of reading. Our goal is to inspire life-long readers who are motivated to read both for enjoyment and to support their learning. For children to develop the will to read, and to read, in order to learn, they must first acquire secure reading skills, enabling them to read with accuracy, fluency and understanding.

Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and underpins every subject area. We want every child to read widely and develop a broad, rich knowledge across the curriculum. By providing a diverse range of high-quality texts, we aim to broaden children’s horizons, deepen their understanding of the world and strengthen their cultural capital. Because reading is such an essential life skill, we prioritise helping pupils become independent readers who can process information confidently, engage fully in all learning opportunities, and move on to the next stage of their education well-prepared.

Phonics and Early Reading

We teach early reading through the systematic, synthetic phonics programme Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. From the start of Reception, children take part in a daily phonics lesson following the Little Wandle progression. This continues throughout Year 1 to ensure all children become fluent, confident readers. We teach phonics for 30 minutes each day. In Reception, we begin with shorter 10-minute sessions, supported by additional daily oral blending games and build into to full-length lessons as quickly as possible. Children make a strong start in Reception: teaching begins in Week 2 of the autumn term.

We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised expectations of progress:

• Reception: Children are taught to read and spell words using Phase 2 and Phase 3 GPCs, and words with adjacent consonants (Phase 4), developing fluency and accuracy.

• Year 1: Children review Phases 3 and 4 and are taught to read and spell words using Phase 5 GPCs, further developing fluency and accuracy.

The programme meets the expectations of the National Curriculum and the Early Learning Goals, with clearly defined, term-by-term progression. This progression outlines the grapheme–phoneme correspondences (GPCs) and tricky words taught each week.

All of our early reading books are fully decodable and aligned with the Little Wandle programme. When selecting books for pupils, we ensure each one is carefully matched to the letter–sound correspondences a child has secured, enabling them to apply their phonic knowledge confidently and independently. Children continue to receive phonics teaching until they are confident, fluent readers. Phonics gives them an efficient, lifelong decoding strategy for reading unfamiliar words. Throughout daily lessons and wider learning, children have frequent opportunities to practise new GPCs and words, helping to secure learning in their long-term memory.

In EYFS and Year 1, children take part in regular reading practice sessions each week. These sessions focus on applying reading skills using fully decodable books matched to pupils’ phonic ability. Each session has a clear focus to avoid overloading working memory. The three key areas taught are:

• Decoding – applying phonic knowledge to read words accurately

• Prosody – reading with understanding, phrasing and expression

• Comprehension – understanding the meaning of the text

Each session begins with a pacey review of graphemes, tricky words and the fluent reading of words that appear in the book. Although these have already been taught in phonics sessions, the review helps bring them to the forefront of working memory. In comprehension sessions, the teacher focuses on a specific domain. Developing fluency is a consistent theme across all sessions. Pupils read the same book across their practice sessions and then take it home to continue developing fluency.

To further nurture a love of reading, children are also encouraged to take home a sharing book. Although these books may not be fully decodable by the child, they can be enjoyed together with an adult, broadening children’s exposure to a variety of genres and authors. Once children have developed secure phonic knowledge, they can choose from a wider range of books from their class book corner or the school library, matched to their reading ability.

Further Reading

Inspiring a life-long love of reading is essential and children often continue to need guidance to help them choose high-quality literature. The school’s Reading Challenge provides structure for those pupils who benefit from support in selecting books. Regular reading enables staff to monitor children’s choices and ensure they encounter a healthy level of challenge to keep them motivated, while also giving them opportunities to rehearse key reading skills until they are fully embedded. In EYFS and Year 1, children have access to books in the classroom which they may choose to read as part of their Continuous Provision. In Year 2 and beyond, children enjoy daily reading for pleasure, choosing their own books and developing a lifelong love of reading through stories that spark their curiosity and imagination. This is a dedicated part of the day when everyone stops for reading. 

From Year 2 onwards, we use The Fluency Shed programme from Literacy Shed Plus to develop children’s reading fluency, confidence and comprehension. The programme follows a structured approach, with a carefully selected text each week and regular opportunities for children to practise and develop their reading skills. Texts include a rich variety of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, introducing children to different genres, authors, vocabulary, and writing styles.

Each weekly text is explored through dedicated fluency lessons, allowing children to revisit the same text and build their confidence through repeated reading. Teachers model how to read accurately, at an appropriate pace and with expression, helping children to understand how punctuation, phrasing, intonation, and emphasis bring meaning to the words on the page. Children are given opportunities to listen to fluent reading, practise reading aloud and develop their own ability to read smoothly and expressively.

By becoming more familiar with a text, children can move beyond simply decoding individual words and begin to focus more fully on meaning. This helps them develop their vocabulary, understand the language used by authors and engage more deeply with what they read. The programme also supports the development of reading stamina, encouraging children to sustain their concentration and confidence when reading increasingly challenging texts. Alongside fluency, comprehension remains central to our reading teaching. Children are encouraged to think carefully about what they have read, discuss ideas, explore unfamiliar vocabulary and develop their understanding of the text. Through The Fluency Shed, we aim to develop confident, accurate and expressive readers who understand what they read, enjoy exploring different texts and have the skills to become independent, enthusiastic readers as they progress through the school.

Children who require additional support to keep up with class reading are identified for Little Wandle Rapid Catch-Up or other targeted interventions. Class teachers work closely with Learning Support Assistants to identify areas of need and set clear intervention targets for small group teaching. These sessions allow pupils to practise and refine their skills, while half-termly assessments and feedback ensure that interventions are monitored for impact and adjusted where necessary.

Regular reading at home is vital in helping children build fluency and make strong progress, and parental support plays an important role. While many children may read aloud fluently, comprehension must also be nurtured and monitored. Every time a child reads with an adult in school, it is recorded on Boom Reader, and we encourage parents to do the same at home. Teachers regularly share guidance with families on how to support reading, and parents are always welcome to seek further advice from their child’s class teacher.

Teachers share their own love of reading at every opportunity through class reads, inviting families to The Big Reads and promoting the annual book fair. Every class enjoys daily story time, during which a book chosen by the children is shared together. Reading corners in classrooms are well-stocked library provides a welcoming space for pupils. Our enthusiastic librarians ensure the library is open at break and lunchtimes so there is always a quiet place to enjoy a book. Throughout the year, we also host Story Time in the Library, where adults read aloud to any eager listeners. Learning Champions for reading offer valuable peer support, with older pupils helping younger children by listening to them read, talking about books, and sharing recommendations. We are also fortunate to have Blodyn, our much-loved reading dog, visit us each week to hear a variety of children read.

Writing

We see writing as an integral part of the whole curriculum and are always looking for real-life writing opportunities to inspire the children and get them putting pen to paper. Activities, including first hand experiences, in all areas of the curriculum provide starting points for a wide variety of writing. In the Early Years Foundation Stage the child’s first marks on paper (emergent writing) are valued as an essential stage in the development of writing. Children explore and extend their writing skills through a variety of role play situations (e.g. writing signs and labels for the garden centre/invitations to a teddy bear’s picnic). They have free access to writing areas.

The KS1 Playground is the home of the school's Writing Shed which is a little den of activity for the children to freely choose writing experiences to encourage a love of English. The children in Reception use this as part of their continuous provision with access for the rest of the key stage at lunchtimes as they wish.

Drawing Club is used in Reception to develop children’s early literacy skills through a creative, imaginative and engaging approach to storytelling. It encourages a love of stories, develops vocabulary and oral language, and supports children in making marks and giving meaning to their drawings. Through drawing, storytelling and early writing, children build confidence in communicating their ideas while developing the foundations for writing, including fine motor control, letter formation and an understanding that marks carry meaning.

In Year 1, Curious Quests builds on the foundations established through Drawing Club in Reception, continuing to nurture children’s imagination, curiosity and love of language. Through engaging texts, creative exploration and purposeful writing opportunities, children are encouraged to develop their vocabulary, deepen their comprehension and communicate their ideas with increasing independence. This

approach supports the transition from early mark-making and emergent writing towards more structured writing, while developing the transcription skills, sentence construction and confidence needed to meet the expectations of the Year 1 English curriculum. Curious Quests provides a meaningful and engaging context for English planning, enabling children to build on prior learning and develop as enthusiastic, capable readers and writers.

Across Years 2–6, the writing curriculum is designed to develop confident, creative and independent writers through a progressive three-week structure. Each unit provides opportunities for children to immerse themselves in high-quality texts, explore the features of different genres, practise key writing skills and apply their learning to produce a purposeful final piece. As children move through the school, expectations increase in line with the National Curriculum, with growing emphasis on vocabulary choices, sentence structure, grammatical accuracy, cohesion, authorial voice and the ability to edit and improve their own work.

The first week focuses on immersing children in the focus text and genre, developing their understanding of the text’s purpose, audience and key features. Through drama, practical activities, discussion and exploration of high-quality examples, children develop familiarity with the text and build the vocabulary needed to write effectively. Text maps are used to support memory, sequencing and confidence, helping children internalise the structure and language of the genre. Children explore what makes the text effective and begin to build a toolkit of features that they can draw upon in their own writing.

The second week focuses on developing the specific skills children need to write successfully within the chosen genre. Children complete a cold write, which provides teachers with valuable insight into their existing knowledge, strengths and areas for development. This assessment informs subsequent teaching, allowing teachers to address gaps in understanding and consolidate key punctuation and grammatical concepts. Lessons incorporate explicit teaching of grammar, sentence construction and year-group expectations, alongside Alan Peat sentence types where appropriate. Children practise applying these skills in context, using the focus text and their developing toolkit to understand how language choices influence meaning and impact.

The final week provides children with the opportunity to bring together and apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout the unit. Using their understanding of the genre, text maps and writing toolkit, children plan and compose an independent final piece for a clear purpose and audience. They are encouraged to make deliberate choices about vocabulary, sentence structure and grammatical features to engage the reader and achieve the intended effect. Editing and improving are integral to the

process, with children reviewing their work for clarity, cohesion, punctuation, grammar and spelling.

The three-week structure remains consistent, providing a familiar framework within which writing skills can be progressively developed. Throughout all year groups, the curriculum places vocabulary development at its heart. The daily Word of the Day, alongside high-quality texts, drama, text maps and explicit teaching, enables children to develop a rich language repertoire and apply it purposefully. This structured approach ensures that children revisit and build upon prior learning, while teachers use assessment to respond to individual needs and move learning forward. Ultimately, the curriculum aims to develop writers who understand how texts work, make informed choices as authors and can communicate their ideas clearly, creatively and confidently across a range of genres.

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar

Fundamental to good writing, is confidence in spelling, punctuation and grammar which has been high on the school’s agenda for a number of years now. Beginning with our youngest children, we start teaching the building blocks for word building, sentence construction and text organisation to ensure writing is of the highest quality. We take a multi-sensory approach to spelling as children learn to spell using different strategies. Whilst we recognise the teaching of a systematic synthetic approach to phonics is successful with most children, we also recognise the need to use different strategies with children who do not learn spellings phonetically. We therefore encourage the development of visual memory, kinaesthetic methods, picture cues as well as focusing on the structure of words and letter patterns.

Children in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 receive weekly spelling lists to take home and learn. In Year 1 these are aligned to the Little Wandle teaching, enabling children to consolidate the sounds they are currently being taught. After completing the Little Wandle Phonics reading scheme, Year 2 students are introduced to spelling rules through the "Bridge to Spelling" unit, where they are taught how to 'think about spelling'. Over the course of five weeks, they complete the alphabetic code and learn the underpinning concepts of spelling. Once this learning is secure, children are ready to move on to the Little Wandle Year 2 Spelling units. These Spelling units follow the familiar structure of Little Wandle phonics lessons, supporting children to make links to their phonics learning. Little Wandle Spelling teaches children to consider etymology, morphology and grammar when spelling new words. The programme provides full coverage of National Curriculum spelling requirements. From Year 3 onwards, we follow the Spelling Shed scheme, explicitly teaching the morphology, etymology and spelling rule each week before encouraging children to practise their spellings using a range of strategies including through the spelling games. Children are encouraged to use their weekly words in their English book and when tested, the words are always put into context. Children who struggle to access the class spellings are given individual lists and tested on an individual basis to ensure they are working at an appropriate level.

Punctuation and grammar are taught explicitly within English lessons, enabling children to explore language in context and apply their learning to their own writing. During the second phase of the English teaching structure, lessons draw on the rich text being studied to teach and consolidate key grammatical concepts and punctuation rules. Alan Peat sentence structures are used to develop variety and control, helping children manipulate language, create effects for the reader and strengthen their authorial voice.

Developing children’s understanding of grammatical terminology is equally important. By using technical vocabulary to discuss words, sentences and grammatical rules, children develop the language needed to explain their choices and make informed decisions in their independent writing. This shared understanding also promotes high-quality dialogue and discussion in the classroom.

Speaking & Listening

We value the oral language children bring to school and seek to nurture and develop these skills by encouraging them to speak confidently and listen actively to others. In EYFS and Year 1, there is a strong focus on storytelling and developing oracy skills. Speaking and listening activities, including drama, are planned purposefully within each English unit and across other subjects, providing children with regular opportunities to develop their vocabulary, express their ideas and communicate effectively.

Handwriting

Developing gross motor skills in EYFS provides the physical foundations for successful handwriting. Activities such as climbing, balancing, dancing and using large movements to draw help children build core strength, postural stability, shoulder control and coordination. These skills support the development of finer motor control needed for pencil grip, letter formation and controlled movements. By strengthening these foundations through playful, active experiences, children develop the physical confidence and control needed to progress towards comfortable, fluent handwriting.

During the Early Years Foundation Stage and Year 1 children build on these skills following the Little Wandle handwriting scheme. This programme supports children to develop the correct letter formation and physical skills needed for fluent, legible handwriting. In Reception, children develop fine motor control and learn to form letters using the correct movements, linked to their phonics learning. In Year 1, they consolidate accurate letter formation, develop consistent letter size and positioning, and build fluency and confidence when writing words and sentences. The programme uses memorable formation phrases, multisensory activities and explicit modelling to help children develop consistent, accurate letter formation.

Consolidation of these skills continues in Year 2, until the child is ready and is introduced to cursive handwriting. Regular specific handwriting sessions continue throughout KS2, allowing children to focus on the correct joins whilst building fluency and stamina in handwriting. As children become confident with handwriting skills they are encouraged to develop their own particular style.