About Our English Curriculum

Across the school, we teach English through a rigorously planned, literature-rich curriculum that pays close attention to guidance provided by the National Curriculum sequence and content. Combining the evidence-led framework of CUSP English with specialised programs for foundational skills, our ambitious curriculum has the clear intention of increasing children’s literacy and oracy, enriching their spoken and written vocabulary, and putting what they learn into practice to remove social barriers and improve their overall life chances.

The following core pillars and specialist programs underpin our teaching of English, and we strive to weave these components progressively into daily learning across the Federation:

• Early Reading and Phonics (Read Write Inc.): Utilising a highly structured, systematic synthetic phonics program to ensure children learn to read rapidly, accurately, and with strong comprehension from the very start of their school journey.

• Handwriting (Ruth Miskin Handwriting): Developing fluent, legible, and effortless cursive handwriting through a progressive approach that builds physical stamina and automaticity.

• Reading Fluency and Text Culture (CUSP Reading & Accelerated Reader): Exposing children to a diverse range of rich, complex poetry, non-fiction, and fiction texts through CUSP, while cultivating a deep love for independent reading and precise tracking of comprehension using Accelerated Reader.

• Spelling and Vocabulary (Spelling Shed & CUSP): Combining the explicit, vocabulary-rich morphology instruction of CUSP with the engaging, pattern-based reinforcement of Spelling Shed to build confident, accurate spellers.

• Writing and Oracy (CUSP Writing): Equipping children with the structural, grammatical, and creative tools to articulate their ideas eloquently both in speech and across a wide variety of written genres.

At the Federation of North Walsham Infant and Junior Schools, we aim to provide a rich experience of English that enables our children to experience both depth and breadth in the literature and skills they cover. This is achieved through a seamlessly joined sequence across our infant and junior settings. As children master foundational decoding through Read Write Inc., they transition smoothly into a CUSP-aligned spaced learning sequence. This architecture includes integrated retrieval opportunities where prior grammatical structures, vocabulary, and literary devices are systematically revisited and consolidated year-on-year.

The methodology for teaching English at the Federation of North Walsham Infant and Junior Schools is to provide opportunities for children to develop their critical questioning skills, ignite a lifelong curiosity for storytelling and knowledge, and widen their communication skills. We want our children to respond proactively and positively to complex texts and writing challenges, striving to learn more about the nuances of language. We recognise our responsibility to prepare pupils thoroughly for the communication demands of modern life, ensuring they are fully equipped with the independence, critical thinking, and clarity of expression required to share their voices with the world.

We also recognise that English is the bedrock of our entire curriculum and draws on, as well as supports, disciplines from the wider world such as history, geography, science, and the arts. We believe making these curriculum connections—such as utilising high-quality historical or scientific texts in reading sessions—are essential components that help to engage and connect our children with the boundless opportunities English provides.

By the time our children leave the Federation of North Walsham Infant and Junior Schools, they will have the skills, knowledge, and experience to have a level of independent thinking, a rich vocabulary, and a deep-seated literacy confidence to carry through to their future education and into their lives beyond the classroom.

For further information on the curriculum please read the Subject Overviews below.