English

Being an Author at Herne View

Here, at Herne View, we believe that the essential skills of an author — reading, writing, speaking and listening — form the foundations for our pupils’ success across the curriculum and in life beyond primary school. Strong English skills empower children to communicate confidently, express themselves creatively and access learning in every subject.

Why do we teach English?

English sits at the heart of our curriculum because it underpins all learning. Through high‑quality teaching of phonics, reading, writing and oracy, we aim to:

Develop confident, fluent readers who read for both purpose and pleasure
Equip children with the skills to write clearly, creatively and accurately
Enable pupils to speak with confidence, listen with understanding, and engage respectfully in dialogue
Provide every child with the literacy skills they need to unlock opportunities now and in the future

We believe that every child is a storyteller, a communicator and a thinker - and our English curriculum nurtures these strengths from the very start of their journey at our school.

How do we teach our English curriculum?

Phonics

We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme to deliver consistent, systematic phonics teaching across EYFS and Key Stage 1. Daily lessons build strong decoding skills, support early spelling and handwriting, and ensure that all pupils develop secure foundations for reading and writing.

Reading

Reading is taught through a structured and consistent approach across the school. In Reception and Key Stage 1, children follow the Little Wandle Guided Reading and Fluency programme, which is carefully matched to their phonics stage to ensure accuracy, confidence and success. This systematic approach helps children develop decoding skills, fluency and early comprehension. Alongside this, children listen to stories read aloud daily by their class teacher, giving them regular exposure to rich vocabulary, expressive reading and a wide range of high‑quality texts. As pupils move through the school, guided reading, whole‑class reading lessons and opportunities to explore diverse authors and genres help them develop as enthusiastic, thoughtful and independent readers.

Writing

We teach writing using The Write Stuff approach, which provides a clear, structured model for crafting high‑quality writing. Children learn how to build vocabulary, develop sentence accuracy and organise ideas effectively. Alongside this, pupils regularly apply their skills through cross‑curricular writing opportunities, allowing them to write purposefully across subjects such as history, RE and science. Handwriting is explicitly taught using the Little Wandle Handwriting scheme and the Write Well programme, ensuring children develop fluent, legible and consistent handwriting from the earliest stages. In Key Stage 2, spelling is taught using the Spelling Shed scheme. This provides a systematic, engaging and consistent approach to spelling patterns, rules and vocabulary development, helping children to become accurate and confident spellers.

Oracy

Oracy is woven throughout all areas of school life. We provide a wealth of opportunities for children to practise speaking and listening in meaningful, authentic contexts. Lessons from the Skills Builder Universal Framework, alongside Voice 21 Oracy framework, support the explicit teaching of oracy skills, helping children to communicate clearly, listen actively, ask questions and express ideas with confidence.