Writing Rationale

At St Michael with St John, our English curriculum has been designed to meet the needs of our diverse school community. As the majority of our pupils speak English as an additional language, developing spoken language, vocabulary and literacy is a key priority. We recognise that secure communication skills underpin success in every area of learning and provide the foundation for lifelong learning.

Our curriculum follows the National Curriculum for English and is carefully structured to ensure pupils make progressive development in speaking and listening, reading and writing. We have chosen the Ready Steady Write programme by Literacy Counts because it provides a coherent, evidence-informed approach that places high-quality, vocabulary-rich texts at the heart of learning. Through carefully planned teaching sequences, pupils are immersed in engaging texts, develop ambitious vocabulary, analyse effective models and apply their learning to produce purposeful, high-quality writing.

Our English curriculum brings together speaking and listening, reading and writing, recognising that each area supports and strengthens the others. Children are given regular opportunities to apply and consolidate their literacy skills across the wider curriculum, enabling them to communicate effectively, deepen their understanding of different subjects and become increasingly confident and independent learners.

Our Christian vision, rooted in the belief that 'with God all things are possible', and our values of Nurture, Inspire, Achieve shape every aspect of our English curriculum. We nurture children as confident communicators, inspire them through rich, diverse and engaging literature and provide the support and challenge needed for every pupil to flourish. By the time they leave St Michael with St John, we aim for all children to be articulate, thoughtful and independent users of language who are fully prepared for the next stage of their education and able to participate confidently in the wider world.