Here, you will find details about the National Curriculum for English and how we integrate reading, writing, and oracy into our learning at Kiveton Park Meadows Junior School.

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Our Goals

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At Kiveton Park Meadows, our English curriculum nurtures a lifelong love for language, reading, and communication. We aim to develop confident, articulate communicators who enjoy reading for pleasure and purpose, and who can express themselves clearly and creatively in writing.

Through engaging and diverse texts, we encourage children to explore new ideas, broaden their understanding of the world, and appreciate the power of language. Our writing curriculum builds creativity, precision, and confidence, while our strong focus on oracy ensures that pupils learn to speak, listen, and respond thoughtfully — preparing them to be confident communicators in all aspects of life.

 

Why English Matters

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Our English curriculum enriches children’s education by equipping them with the core skills of reading, writing, and oracy — skills essential not only for academic success but also for lifelong learning and communication.

Developing literacy and confidence in language allows our children to:

• Read with understanding and enjoyment

• Write with imagination and purpose

• Speak and listen with clarity and respect

Through a focus on reading for pleasure, high-quality writing experiences, and purposeful talk, children at KPM become thoughtful readers, expressive writers, and confident speakers.

 

Our English Curriculum

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Our English curriculum has been carefully developed to meet the needs of all learners at Kiveton Park Meadows Junior School. It is rich, varied, and designed to ensure progression in knowledge, vocabulary, and skills from Year 3 through to Year 6.

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Early Reading

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At Kiveton Park Meadows Junior School, we continue the Sounds~Write systematic synthetic phonics journey that begins at Kiveton Park Infant School. This consistent approach ensures a seamless transition into Key Stage 2 and supports every child in becoming a confident, fluent reader and writer.

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Sounds~Write is a highly structured, evidence-based phonics programme that teaches children how the alphabetic code works, developing the key skills of segmenting, blending, and phoneme manipulation. These foundational skills are essential for accurate reading, spelling, and writing.

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Our teaching focuses on:

• Phoneme–grapheme correspondence – understanding the sounds that letters and letter groups represent.

• Blending – combining individual sounds to read words fluently.

• Segmenting – breaking down spoken words into sounds for spelling and writing.

• Code knowledge – recognising the complexities and variations of the English spelling system through direct instruction and practice.

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Children who are not yet fully secure in decoding receive daily targeted intervention to reinforce key skills and build confidence. These sessions use carefully matched decodable texts, allowing pupils to practise reading within their current phonics stage and experience success as readers.

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Alongside phonics, children engage in guided reading and fluency sessions that focus on comprehension, vocabulary development, and expression. This ensures that as decoding skills strengthen, children also develop a deep understanding of what they read.

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Our aim is for every child to leave Key Stage 2 as an independent, enthusiastic reader who can confidently decode, comprehend, and enjoy a wide range of texts — laying the foundation for future academic success and a lifelong love of reading.

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Reading

At Kiveton Park Meadows, we believe that reading is at the heart of learning. Our aim is for every child to develop fluency, comprehension, and, most importantly, a love of reading.

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We use a structured approach to whole-class reading, exposing children to high-quality, challenging texts across a range of genres and cultures. Teachers model fluent reading and comprehension skills, and lessons focus on key reading strategies such as inference, prediction, summarising, and vocabulary development.

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Weekly reading follows a carefully planned structure:

• Monday: Vocabulary exploration and context-building

• Tuesday–Thursday: Guided and paired reading with discussion and comprehension questions

• Friday: Independent application, assessment, and feedback

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Children are encouraged to read widely at school and at home. Each classroom has a vibrant reading area, and our well-stocked library supports children in discovering books they love. 

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We enjoy regular visits to our local library.  

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Writing

Writing at Kiveton Park Meadows follows a structured, modelled approach that allows children to develop confidence and independence as writers. We focus on teaching the craft of writing through four key stages:

1. Modelled Write: Teachers demonstrate the writing process, thinking aloud to show how writers choose vocabulary, structure sentences, and edit for accuracy.

2. Shared Write: The class collaborates on writing together, developing ideas and experimenting with language under teacher guidance.

3. Paired Write: Children work in pairs to refine their ideas and practise specific skills collaboratively.

4. Independent Write: Pupils apply what they have learned independently, showcasing their skills and creativity.

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We use Spelling Shed to support spelling and vocabulary development, ensuring children can confidently apply accurate spelling patterns in their writing.

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Across all year groups, pupils write for a range of purposes — to entertain, inform, persuade, and explain — linking writing tasks to key texts and wider curriculum themes.

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Oracy

Speaking and listening are integral to English and underpin learning across the curriculum. At Kiveton Park Meadows, oracy is promoted through discussion, debate, role-play, and presentation.

Children are taught how to articulate ideas clearly, listen respectfully, and respond thoughtfully. Through opportunities such as class assemblies, performances, and debates, pupils develop confidence in expressing themselves in front of others.

Our focus on oracy ensures that children become effective communicators, ready to share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions with clarity and confidence.

 

Books, Books, Books 

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We are proud to offer our children a core selection of high-quality texts that represent a wide range of genres, cultures, and voices. Each year group has a carefully curated book spine that includes classic and contemporary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

These texts are used across English lessons, guided reading, and topic learning, helping to create meaningful connections between reading and the wider curriculum.

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Our Learning Means the World assemblies are based on picture books, encouraging children to explore the wider world through quality texts. 

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Weekly Mystery Reader sessions further enhance our reading for pleasure agenda. 

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Supporting Every Learner

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Our English curriculum is inclusive and adapted to meet the needs of all learners, including those with SEND or who are disadvantaged.

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For Reading:

• Visual supports, audiobooks, and multi-sensory approaches

• Simplified or scaffolded texts

• Paired reading and phonics-based interventions for fluency and comprehension

 

For Writing:

• Use of word banks, visual prompts, and structured templates

• Access to assistive tools and technology

• Multi-sensory letter formation activities

• Collaborative and guided writing opportunities

 

These strategies ensure that every child can access the curriculum and achieve success as a reader and writer.

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Pupil Voice
 

“I liked when we did the verb hunt in the hall — that was fun!”

“My handwriting is so neat now — I’m really proud of myself.”

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"I like choosing books that I wouldn't normally pick, when I visit the library with my class."

“We get to use purple pens to improve our writing, which helps make it even better.”

“I like learning all the different sounds in phonics.”

“I really enjoyed taking part in the Poetry Slam!”

“I love reading books that take me on adventures — when I find a good one, I can’t put it down!”

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"Our reading picnic in the Summer was so much fun!"

“Practising my handwriting makes my writing look so much better — I like taking my time to get it right.”