Knowledge of English, and a command of the spoken and written word, is an essential resource for a child’s learning in school. It is a tool used across the whole school curriculum, as well as being a subject in its own right.

English at St John’s will not only be a daily discrete lesson, but is at the cornerstone of the entire curriculum.  The curriculum is ‘sewn’ into the English curriculum to make lessons immersive, bespoke and personalised. It is embedded within all our lessons and we will strive for a high level of English for all. Through using high-quality texts, immersing children in vocabulary rich learning environments and ensuring new curriculum expectations and the progression of skills are met, the children at St John’s will be exposed to a language heavy, creative and continuous English curriculum which will not only enable them to become primary literate, but will also develop a love of reading, creative writing and purposeful speaking and listening.

At St John’s we recognise that each child has their own starting point upon entry to every year group and progress is measured in line with these starting points to ensure every child can celebrate success.

The National Curriculum divides English into five strands:  Speaking and Listening, Reading, Writing, Spelling and Handwriting.