English Intent

At Northfield Road, English lies at the heart of our curriculum, enabling all pupils to become confident, fluent and articulate learners who can both access and contribute to a literate world. Vocabulary is carefully selected from high-quality texts so pupils encounter rich, ambitious language in meaningful contexts. 

Systematic phonics, taught consistently and progressively, enables all pupils to develop secure decoding skills leading to fluency and comprehension. Adaptive teaching ensures every child can access learning at an independent level, with targeted support and challenge provided where needed. 

Our high-quality core texts are sequenced across year groups to promote progression, cohesion and a love of literature. These texts reflect our diverse school community and link to whole-school themes, each underpinned by a ‘big idea’ (DfE Reading Framework, 2023) that enables pupils to explore universal concepts such as identity, belonging and the natural world. 

Writing across the curriculum is purposeful and ambitious. Through discussion, performance and debate, pupils develop oracy, reasoning and confidence in expressing ideas—skills that strengthen both reading comprehension and written composition. Retrieval of key punctuation, grammar and spelling knowledge is embedded through a daily dictated sentence, ensuring essential skills are continually revisited, practised and secured. 

English Rationale

At our school, English lies at the heart of our curriculum. Through reading, writing, speaking, and listening, we aim to equip children with the skills, knowledge, and creativity they need to communicate effectively and to develop a lifelong love of literature. 

Core Text Themes 

Our English curriculum is rooted in high-quality core texts, carefully selected around whole-school themes to ensure cohesion and progression across year groups. Each text is underpinned by a ‘big idea at its heart’ (DfE Reading Framework 2023, p.87) to inspire curiosity, reflection, and critical thinking. Across the year, children explore: 

• Family/Identity (Autumn 1) 

• Global Stories/Traditional Tales (Autumn 2) 

• Displacement/Journeys (Spring 1) 

• Fantasy/Imagination (Spring 2) 

• Environment/The Natural World (Summer 1) 

• Teamwork/Friendship (Summer 2) 

Texts have been deliberately chosen to: 

• Reflect a diverse range of voices and characters (D) 

• Use rich, lyrical language to inspire a love of words (L) 

• Build and deepen children’s wider knowledge (K) 

• Provide culturally rich content to broaden horizons (C) 

• Expose pupils to a wide variety of genres and formats, so they can develop informed opinions and preferences 

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Purpose, Audience, Form, and Impact (PAFI) 

Writing in our school is purposeful, authentic, and ambitious. Each unit of work is mapped using PAFI so that children understand why they are writing, who they are writing for, how to structure their ideas, and what impact they want to have. 

• Purpose – Children write for a range of real purposes, including to narrate, inform, instruct, persuade, discuss, and reflect. As they move through the school, they engage with increasingly complex purposes in line with the National Curriculum. 

• Audience – Writing is always directed towards a real or chosen audience. This ensures that children see themselves as authors whose words have meaning and power beyond the classroom. By upper KS2, pupils select their own audiences, fostering independence and ownership. 

• Form – Children learn to shape their writing into the most effective form, whether story, letter, report, article, play script, or poem. By Year 6, pupils make independent choices about structure and form to suit their intent. 

• Impact – Reflection and editing are embedded within our approach. Children evaluate whether their words achieved the intended effect on their audience and refine their writing to strengthen its impact. 

Reading,Writing and Oracy in Partnership 

The interplay between reading, writing, and oracy is at the heart of our English curriculum. High-quality texts provide models for writing, spark discussion, and encourage debate. Through shared and independent reading, pupils encounter a wide range of voices and perspectives. Through purposeful talk, they develop fluency, confidence, and the ability to articulate and justify their views. 

6Rs and Sequencing 

Our English curriculum is underpinned by the school’s 6Rs (Relate, Read, Rip, Rehearse, Writing and Review) Each sequence of learning explicitly develops these skills, ensuring children not only make progress in literacy but also in their wider personal development. 

Our Intent 

By the end of their primary journey, every child will: 

• See themselves as a reader and writer, with their own voice, opinions, and preferences. 

• Appreciate literature as a gateway to understanding themselves, others, and the world. 

• Be able to write for a wide range of purposes, audiences, and forms with confidence and authenticity. 

• Recognise the power of language to inform, persuade, entertain, and inspire. 

Find out more information about our curriculum by speaking with year group staff or by emailing info@northfield.dudley.sch.uk.