I am Mrs Wright, and I have been English Lead at our school for the past eight years. I am passionate about inspiring a love of reading in all children and firmly believe that every child can find joy and confidence in English. With a PGCE in Teaching Children with Literacy Difficulties, I am committed to ensuring that every pupil, regardless of their starting point, has the support and encouragement they need to thrive. I believe that, together, we can nurture a lifelong love of reading, writing, and language for every child.

Our English curriculum is driven by the principles that everyone is different, everyone is special, and everyone is our neighbour. Through diverse texts and stories, pupils explore the experiences, voices, and perspectives of people from different cultures, times, and backgrounds, fostering an understanding of diversity. By developing each child’s unique voice, creativity, and ability to express themselves, we nurture their confidence and individual talents. Rooted in empathy and care, our curriculum encourages pupils to use their communication skills to build connections, advocate for justice, and engage thoughtfully with the world around them.

Our approach to teaching English is rooted in immersive and engaging pedagogy that brings texts to life for our pupils. Using high-quality resources from the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), including The Power of Reading, we ensure that teaching is centred on a diverse range of carefully chosen children’s books. Our pedagogy incorporates drama, visualisation, and other creative strategies to immerse children in the texts, fostering a deeper connection and understanding. We place great emphasis on speaking and listening, recognising that developing oral communication skills is fundamental to building confidence, critical thinking, and literacy. By creating opportunities for discussion, performance, and collaboration, we encourage pupils to explore ideas and express themselves effectively. This approach not only fosters reading and writing for pleasure but also develops empathy, imagination, and a lifelong love of language and storytelling.

In St Andrew's, assessment in English is an ongoing, formative process that allows us to identify the needs of the children in front of us and adapt our teaching to support their progress. From Year 2 onwards, we use termly assessments for reading, which provide standardised scores that complement our teacher assessments, giving us a clear picture of each child's reading ability. Writing is assessed through the work children produce daily, with a termly assessment glued into their books to highlight where they are meeting the standards and what areas they still need to develop. This approach ensures that we can tailor our instruction to the specific needs of each child, supporting their growth and helping them to achieve their full potential.