English is at the heart of our curriculum; it is the foundation on which every other subject is built. We value reading and writing as essential life skills and are dedicated to developing pupils who are confident, articulate communicators. Our aim is that all children leave our school reading fluently and widely, writing with clarity and creativity, and understanding the structure and power of language so they can express themselves effectively in a range of contexts. From the earliest stages in the Foundation Stage—where children experience stories, mark making, purposeful talk and early writing—through to the end of Key Stage Two, pupils are immersed in high-quality texts and taught the skills needed to become lifelong readers and writers.

Intent

Our intent is to deliver a rich, ambitious and cohesive English curriculum in which reading, writing, PVPG (Place Value of Punctuation and Grammar) and spelling work together to develop confident, capable and enthusiastic learners.

We want pupils to become fluent readers who can understand, enjoy and engage with a wide range of literature, using ambitious vocabulary drawn from high-quality texts.

Our aim is for children to write clearly, creatively and effectively for many purposes and audiences, understanding how authors shape meaning and how to craft their own ideas.

Through PVPG, we intend for pupils to gain deep, conceptual understanding of how grammar and punctuation function within sentences, enabling them to communicate purposefully and with precision. We want children to understand the “place value” of these elements—not just how to use them, but why they matter—and to manipulate sentence structures to enhance clarity and effect.

Our spelling curriculum aims to develop secure knowledge of spelling patterns, morphology, etymology and word structure so that pupils can apply accurate spelling independently across the curriculum. Above all, we aim to instil a genuine love of reading and writing that continues beyond primary school.

Implementation

Reading

We follow the Grammarsaurus Comprehension Crushers approach, which includes:

• Daily exposure to high-quality texts.

• Explicit teaching of comprehension skills using structured question sets across retrieval, inference, vocabulary, prediction, sequencing and explanation.

• A clear progression of reading skills mapped across the school.

• Fluency practice through echo reading, choral reading, timed reads and partnered reading.

• Vocabulary exploration, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary, morphological breakdown and contextual meaning.

• Retrieval practice and hinge questions to strengthen long-term understanding.

• Reading for pleasure embedded through story time, library sessions, author studies and book events.

Writing

We use the Grammarsaurus Writing Journey, which includes:

• Diagnostic Tasks to identify gaps in grammar, spelling and sentence structure at the start of each unit.

• Text Deconstruction using high-quality model texts to analyse language, structure, audience and purpose.

• Contextualised Construction Lessons (6–7 lessons) where teachers model grammar and punctuation in context.

• Shared, guided and independent writing to develop stamina and control.

• Independent application of skills in extended writing outcomes.

• Editing and redrafting using self-, peer- and teacher-led editing, success criteria and editing stations.

• Writing across the curriculum to apply skills meaningfully in subjects such as history, science and geography.

PVPG – Place Value of Punctuation and Grammar

• The PVPG approach is taught progressively from Ready for PVPG through Years 2–6, building pupils’ conceptual understanding of how sentences work.

• Children begin with nouns, verbs and simple sentence patterns before moving on to clause manipulation, expanded phrases, verb phrases and the accurate use of conjunctions and punctuation.

• Each year group follows a sequenced set of objectives supported by retrieval starters, review tasks, application activities and structured teacher modelling.

• Pupils learn to identify the subject, verb and “leftover” elements in a sentence, using this knowledge to manipulate structure for clarity, precision and effect.

• PVPG is embedded within writing units so that grammar and punctuation knowledge is consistently taught, practised and applied in meaningful writing contexts across the curriculum.

Spelling

We follow the Grammarsaurus Spelling Scheme, which includes:

• Teaching based on morphology, etymology and orthography.

• Baseline and morpheme assessments that identify gaps in GPCs, suffixing rules, morphemes and word families.

• “Place Value of Spelling” objectives to secure foundations before moving to year-group expectations.

• Three structured spelling sessions per week (20–30 minutes).

• Use of dictation, morphological sorting, investigation tasks, games and low-stakes quizzes.

• Application of spelling patterns within writing and editing sessions.

• Vocabulary instruction linked to writing units and wider curriculum content.

Impact

Our English curriculum enables pupils to leave Holly Trees Primary School as fluent readers who can engage with a wide range of texts confidently and thoughtfully. They develop strong comprehension skills, read with expression and apply ambitious vocabulary in both speech and writing. Pupils talk positively about reading and demonstrate a genuine enjoyment of books, authors and genres, understanding how reading supports their wider learning.

In writing, pupils develop the ability to communicate ideas clearly, creatively and purposefully. They produce extended pieces that demonstrate increasing stamina, secure grammatical control and a clear understanding of audience and purpose. Through explicit teaching and repeated practice of the writing process, pupils become reflective and resilient writers who can edit, redraft and refine their work.

Through PVPG, pupils understand how grammar and punctuation work together to shape meaning. They use a wide range of sentence structures confidently, manipulating language to enhance clarity and impact. Their writing demonstrates accuracy, sophistication and deliberate authorial choices.

In spelling, pupils apply their knowledge of morphology, etymology and orthography to spell accurately and independently. Their spelling improves steadily across year groups, and they can analyse unfamiliar words using word structure and patterns.

Overall, pupils leave our school as confident, articulate communicators—readers who enjoy books, writers who craft their ideas with skill, and learners equipped with the language tools needed for the next stage in their education and beyond.