English

At St James the Great, we believe that English is at the heart of learning. Through reading, writing and spoken language, our children learn to communicate confidently, think critically and express themselves creatively. We aim to nurture a lifelong love of reading while equipping pupils with the skills they need to succeed across the whole curriculum and beyond.

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced from Nursery to Year 6 so that children build knowledge and skills progressively. Pupils experience high-quality texts, purposeful writing opportunities and meaningful discussion in every lesson. We place strong emphasis on vocabulary development, oracy and comprehension so that all children can understand, respond to and enjoy a wide range of literature.

Early Reading and Phonics

Reading and Writing Curriculum
From Reception to Year 6, our English units are built around rich, high-quality literature using The Literacy Tree approach. Each sequence immerses children in a carefully chosen book, allowing them to explore characters, themes and language before writing for a real purpose. Children are taught grammar, punctuation and composition progressively and apply them purposefully across genres.

Through this approach, children learn to:

write with creativity and imagination
understand audience and purpose
apply grammar and punctuation meaningfully
edit and improve their own work
develop a genuine appreciation of literature

By studying whole texts in depth, children develop both strong reading comprehension and confident, independent writing.

Reading for Pleasure
We want every child to see themselves as a reader. Daily story time, class novels, book talk and library opportunities help children discover authors and genres they love. We actively encourage reading at home as part of our partnership with families.

By the time pupils leave St James the Great, they:

Read fluently and with understanding
Write clearly, accurately and for a range of purposes
Use ambitious vocabulary in speech and writing
Demonstrate resilience when editing and improving their work
Show enjoyment and independence as readers

Through our carefully structured phonics teaching, high-quality texts and engaging writing opportunities, we strive to develop confident communicators, thoughtful readers and enthusiastic writers who are ready for the next stage of their education.

Supporting Your Child at Home
Parents play an essential role in developing children’s literacy skills. The following resources provide practical guidance, free books and phonics support.

Reading for Pleasure & Comprehension

Writing Support

Supporting Your Child at Home