English at Lawley Primary School
Our school vision
| The whole school community at Lawley have high expectations for our children, and strive to ensure they leave school as confident, polite and independent young people, with the appropriate skills, values and learning to become successful in whatever their future will be. We aspire to instil in all our children a desire to never stop learning and to have the courage to succeed in whatever they do, across all areas of school life and beyond. At Lawley we are ‘Planting the seeds, growing the future.’ |
Led by Samantha Hill
Intent
At Lawley Primary School, we recognise that English is fundamental to pupils’ success in school and in later life. Rooted in our vision “planting the seeds, growing the future”, our English curriculum is designed to be ambitious, inclusive and aspirational, enabling all pupils to become confident communicators and successful learners.
We intend for pupils to develop a secure and progressively built body of knowledge and skills in reading, writing and spoken language. Through high‑quality texts, our curriculum fosters a love of reading and writing, while explicitly teaching vocabulary, grammar and language structures so that pupils can communicate effectively, creatively and with increasing confidence. Oracy is prioritised as the foundation for literacy, ensuring pupils can articulate ideas, express opinions and rehearse language meaningfully before writing.
Literacy sits at the heart of pupils’ intellectual, emotional and social development and plays a vital role across the wider curriculum. English learning is carefully sequenced and consistently reinforced to ensure coherence, depth and progression over time, supporting pupils to retain knowledge and apply learning across subjects.
Lessons are engaging and purposeful, shaped by the knowledge, skills and concepts of the National Curriculum. Meaningful links with the wider curriculum enable pupils to read, write and apply language in diverse contexts, helping them build cultural capital and secure learning in long‑term memory.
Through our English curriculum, we aim to develop independent, resilient and articulate learners, well prepared for the next stage of education and equipped with the literacy skills needed to succeed in an ever‑changing world.
Implementation
The National Curriculum underpins the delivery of English at Lawley Primary School. Our curriculum intent is implemented through a mastery‑based, carefully sequenced approach using Pathways to Read and Write, ensuring consistency, progression and ambition for all pupils.
Units of learning are structured around high‑quality, appropriately levelled texts from a range of genres and cultural contexts. These provide a meaningful stimulus for reading, writing and spoken language, with regular opportunities for pupils to apply their learning across fiction, non‑fiction and poetry. Poetry is taught across the year, and all pupils in Years 1–6 study a Shakespeare text annually, supporting pupils’ cultural capital and exposure to classic literature.
Reading, writing and oracy are taught in an integrated way, with oral rehearsal and structured discussion used to develop ideas, vocabulary and sentence construction before writing. Writing skills are built progressively through repetition, modelling and guided practice within each unit, enabling pupils to secure key knowledge and apply it independently.
Vocabulary development is a core feature of daily English teaching. Ambitious and subject‑specific vocabulary is explicitly taught, pre‑taught and revisited to deepen pupils’ understanding and confidence in using language accurately. Digital tools, including 1:1 iPads, are used purposefully to support rehearsal, retrieval and retention of new vocabulary.
Teachers work collaboratively within year groups to ensure consistent expectations, coverage and progression. Medium‑term planning is informed by year‑group progression maps, ensuring that new learning builds securely on prior knowledge. Teachers regularly assess pupils’ understanding through high‑quality questioning, feedback and review of work, and planned opportunities for retrieval and recap are used to address misconceptions and strengthen long‑term learning.
Reading is prioritised as the foundation for writing, with pupils encouraged to read widely and often. English teaching is closely linked to the wider curriculum where appropriate, enabling pupils to apply literacy skills in different contexts and deepen understanding across subjects.
Through this approach, all pupils are supported to make strong progress in reading, writing and spoken language and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
Impact
In English, pupils consistently demonstrate their learning in every lesson through spoken language, reading and independent writing. Teachers use ongoing formative assessment to check understanding and inform next steps, including targeted questioning, pupil discussion, observation and regular review of pupils’ work. This ensures misconceptions are identified quickly and addressed effectively.
Independent writing outcomes are assessed at the end of each teaching unit against clearly defined learning objectives and success criteria. These judgements are used to evaluate pupils’ attainment and progress over time and contribute to internal assessment information collected three times a year. This enables leaders and teachers to monitor progress securely and plan precisely to meet pupils’ needs.
Regular retrieval opportunities, particularly through lesson starters and revisiting prior learning, support pupils to know more, remember more and apply their learning confidently. This approach ensures that knowledge and skills are secure, well embedded and increasingly automatic.
The impact of the English curriculum is further evaluated through book monitoring, learning walks and pupil voice. These monitoring activities provide leaders with a clear understanding of pupils’ experiences of English on a day‑to‑day basis and how effectively the curriculum is enabling progress for all learners.
Writing is moderated in school at least termly to ensure consistency in expectations and secure progression against year‑group progression maps. Subject leaders also review samples of pupils’ work and resources to provide feedback, support professional dialogue and share effective practice.
As a result of the English curriculum at Lawley Primary School, pupils leave us as:
- Confident readers, writers and speakers who enjoy and value language
- Resilient, independent learners who recognise the importance of English in their lives and future aspirations
- Secure and fluent communicators, able to read and write with accuracy, purpose and awareness of audience