English Curriculum at Castle Carrock

English Curriculum at Castle Carrock

Castle Carrock Long Term Writing Plan 2025 2026

Reading Curriculum at Castle Carrock Primary School

At Castle Carrock Primary School, we are passionate about developing confident, fluent, and enthusiastic readers who have a lifelong love of books. Our reading curriculum is built upon the accredited Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised scheme, ensuring a consistent, evidence-based approach to early reading and phonics.

We believe that reading is the gateway to all learning, and our carefully structured progression supports every child in becoming a skilled and independent reader.

 Our Curriculum Structure

Reading at Castle Carrock Primary School is delivered through a sequenced, whole-school approach that follows three key stages of development:

1️⃣ Early Reading and Phonics (EYFS & KS1)

• We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme to deliver daily, systematic phonics lessons.
• Children learn to decode accurately, blending sounds to read words with growing confidence.
• Every child reads fully decodable books that are carefully matched to their individual phonic level, ensuring success and progression.
• Reading practice sessions take place three times a week, focusing on:
  1. Decoding – applying phonic knowledge to read words accurately.
  2. Prosody – reading with expression and understanding.
  3. Comprehension – developing understanding of what has been read.

2️⃣ Transition to Fluent Reading (Lower KS2)

• As children become fluent decoders, they move into Bridge to Spelling, which consolidates key phonics knowledge and supports accurate spelling and vocabulary development.
• Pupils continue to practise fluency through guided reading sessions using the Little Wandle Fluency scheme, where they revisit the three reading focuses of decoding, prosody, and comprehension in increasingly complex texts.

3️⃣ Reading for Meaning and Pleasure (Upper KS2)

• In Key Stage 2, reading lessons focus on comprehension, inference, vocabulary development, and critical thinking.
• Pupils explore a wide range of texts from diverse authors and genres, deepening their understanding of language and literature.
• Regular fluency and comprehension sessions continue to ensure all children read with accuracy, pace, and enjoyment.

 Implementation: How We Teach Reading

To ensure consistency and progression, all reading lessons follow a clear structure:

1.  Revisit & Review – Revising previously taught sounds, vocabulary, or comprehension strategies.
2.  Model & Practise – Teachers model reading aloud, demonstrating fluency and expression.
3.  Guided Reading – Pupils read in small groups or individually with targeted support.
4.  Discuss & Deepen – Children engage in purposeful discussion about texts to build comprehension and inference skills.
5.  Reflect & Record – Pupils respond to reading through discussion, journaling, or short written activities.

 Impact: What Our Pupils Gain

By the end of their time at Castle Carrock Primary School, pupils will:

• Be fluent, confident, and independent readers.
• Use phonics knowledge accurately to decode unfamiliar words.
• Read with understanding, expression, and enjoyment.
• Develop a wide vocabulary and appreciation of literature.
• Have the skills and passion needed to continue reading for pleasure and purpose throughout their education and beyond.

 Reading in the Early Years (EYFS)

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, reading is introduced through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. Children engage in daily phonics lessons, shared story times, and small-group reading sessions using decodable books matched to their phonics ability. These experiences foster early reading confidence, a love of stories, and secure the foundations for successful reading in Key Stage 1 and beyond.

WRITING

 

Our mixed age writing curriculum uses a text-based approach, supported by the Literacy Company, to help children acquire knowledge of grammatical structures and text types in an engaging and accessible way.

 

Our pupils are encouraged to enjoy writing. We want them to be able to write independently – showing enthusiasm and resilience in their work.

 

Our pupils are taught to write for purpose, with an awareness of their audience.

 

We teach them how to use a wide range of sophisticated vocabulary, spelling and grammar skills and how to edit and evaluate their work to be the best it can be.

 

The texts we have chosen, which follow a two-year cycle, have been carefully selected on their literary merit. They ensure an appropriate level of challenge and relate to our school values and the wider curriculum for each year group.

Throughout each genre, specific grammar objectives are taught and extra discrete lessons are taught if needed.
Staff work together both in school and across the trust to moderate writing using the Year group ITAFs.