Skip to content ↓

English

📚 English at High Halden

“If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.”
— Roald Dahl

At High Halden Primary School, English is at the heart of our curriculum. We teach English as a subject in its own right, but also through our cross-curricular themes, where meaningful links to high-quality texts and real-world contexts bring learning to life.

We follow the National Curriculum for English, which focuses on four key areas:

📖 Reading

Our aim is for every child to become a confident, fluent reader who reads for pleasure, purpose and understanding. We promote a love of reading through rich storytelling, independent reading time, high-quality texts and exciting class novels.

How We Teach Reading

  • In Early Years and KS1, we follow Floppy's Phonics to deliver high-quality Systematic Synthetic Phonics. Children develop decoding and blending skills using books that match their phonics stage.

  • As children progress, we use the Accelerated Reader (AR) programme to guide independent reading and ensure comprehension through engaging quizzes and personalised reading levels.

  • Whole Class Reading sessions allow teachers to explicitly teach comprehension strategies.

  • Reading is also embedded across the curriculum with shared texts used to enhance understanding in subjects like history, geography and science.

We believe that reading widely and often opens doors for children both academically and personally.

✍️ Writing

We follow the Pathways to Write programme throughout the school. This ensures that writing is consistently taught with clarity, structure and creativity.

Each unit is based around a high-quality text, providing a rich context and model for writing. Children learn to:

  • Plan, draft, edit and publish their own writing

  • Write for different purposes and audiences

  • Expand vocabulary and develop grammar skills in context

  • Take pride in their work and presentation

Children explore a range of genres including:

  • Narrative and story writing

  • Persuasive writing and arguments

  • Recounts and reports

  • Instructions and explanations

  • Poetry and descriptive writing

We support all children in becoming independent, accurate and imaginative writers.

🗣️ Oracy (Speaking & Listening)

Spoken language underpins the development of reading and writing. At High Halden, we place great emphasis on helping children become confident, articulate communicators.

Children are given regular opportunities to:

  • Express opinions and explain ideas clearly

  • Use new vocabulary in meaningful contexts

  • Participate in drama, role-play, and debates

  • Work collaboratively in discussions and presentations

  • Develop active listening and respectful conversation skills

Oracy is embedded in all areas of the curriculum, with a focus on developing children's confidence, clarity and expression.

✏️ Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG)

We teach SPAG both discretely and within the context of reading and writing.

  • In KS1, SPAG is introduced through phonics and writing lessons.

  • In KS2, we build on children’s grammatical knowledge using targeted lessons that link directly to writing outcomes in Pathways to Write.

  • Children learn key terminology and apply punctuation and grammar accurately in a variety of writing styles.

We also teach statutory spelling rules and common exception words, using engaging games and regular assessments to track progress.

📚 Reading & Writing Across the Curriculum

Our cross-curricular approach ensures that literacy is not confined to English lessons. Children use reading and writing skills in history, science, geography, RE and more — making their learning purposeful and relevant.

👪 Supporting Reading at Home

We believe that reading at home is essential. We ask all children to read regularly and log this in their reading records. Parents can use AR BookFinder to explore book levels and quiz availability at:
👉 www.arbookfind.co.uk

📌 Summary

English at High Halden isn’t just a subject – it’s a gateway to confidence, curiosity and communication. Through reading, writing, oracy and SPAG, we empower children with the skills they need to understand the world, express themselves, and succeed in the future.