English Curriculum at Ryton-on-Dunsmore CE Academy

At Ryton-on-Dunsmore CE Academy, we believe that all children, from EYFS to Year 6, are entitled to an ambitious, knowledge-rich English curriculum that enables them to become fluent, confident readers and writers who can successfully meet the demands of the secondary curriculum. English and communication are essential life skills, and our curriculum is designed to help children develop the knowledge and skills needed to communicate effectively, creatively and with purpose.

Following our involvement in an EEF writing programme last year, we have further strengthened our approach to the teaching of English through the introduction of the Literacy Tree Curriculum. This has been carefully designed and adapted to meet the needs of our mixed-age classes, ensuring clear progression, appropriate challenge and purposeful opportunities for reading and writing across the school. The Literacy Tree approach supports children to develop their writing in meaningful contexts, with high-quality texts at the heart of learning.

Our English curriculum is built around a carefully selected range of high-quality, culturally important texts that enrich pupils’ knowledge and understanding. These texts provide the stimulus for reading and writing, enriching pupils’ personal and cultural capital and broadening their understanding of the world. We believe that, for children to leave Ryton-on-Dunsmore as successful learners, they must have secure knowledge of a wide range of literature and the ability to draw on this knowledge in their own reading, writing and spoken language.

English lies at the heart of children’s intellectual, emotional and social development. It enables them to communicate for a variety of purposes, explore their own and others’ experiences, and develop empathy, imagination and critical thinking. For this reason, English knowledge and skills are taught explicitly and developed across the entire curriculum.

Our Aims

We aim to:

• Equip children with a wide vocabulary and the skills to express themselves clearly and confidently in a range of situations.
• Develop capable speakers and listeners who can make formal presentations, explain ideas, engage thoughtfully in discussion and participate in debates.
• Inspire a love of reading through exposure to high-quality texts so that children become enthusiastic, lifelong readers.
• Ensure all children read easily, fluently and with good comprehension, enabling them to access learning across the curriculum.
• Enable children to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their style for different contexts, purposes and audiences.
• Encourage children to enjoy writing and use it independently to express their ideas, opinions and creativity.
• Provide a carefully sequenced writing curriculum that meets the needs of our mixed-age classes and enables pupils to build securely on their prior learning.
• Use high-quality texts and meaningful contexts to inspire writing, develop vocabulary and deepen pupils’ understanding of how authors make deliberate choices for purpose and effect.

Through this approach, we ensure that every child develops the essential literacy knowledge and skills needed to thrive academically, socially and personally, both now and in the future.