Writing Intent
The intent of the writing curriculum at St. Aidan’s Church of England Primary School is to equip children with the foundational skills necessary to communicate effectively through written language.
It aims to develop children’s confidence, creativity and competence in writing for a range of purposes and audiences.
Through a structured and progressive approach, the curriculum nurtures vocabulary development, understanding of grammar and sentence structure, and composition skills. It also encourages students to express their ideas clearly, organise their thoughts logically and take pride in the writing process.
Ultimately, the goal is to foster a lifelong appreciation of writing as a powerful tool for learning, expression and communication.
Writing Aims
The writing curriculum aims to nurture confident, creative and competent writers who can express themselves clearly and effectively for a range of purposes and audiences.
Key aims:
- Develop a love for writing
Encourage creativity and imagination so that children enjoy writing and see it as a valuable form of self-expression. - Build strong foundational skills
Ensure pupils master spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting so they can write fluently and legibly. - Enable clear communication
Teach children to organise and structure their ideas logically and coherently for different genres and audiences. - Expose pupils to rich vocabulary and high-quality texts
Use model texts and reading materials to inspire writing and broaden vocabulary use. - Promote independence and resilience
Encourage editing, revising and improving writing to develop independence and pride in their work. - Prepare pupils for future learning
Equip children with writing skills that support their success across the curriculum and in later key stages.
Writing Implementation
At St. Aidan’s, the implementation of the writing curriculum in a involves a structured, progressive approach that builds pupils’ skills from foundational to more complex writing tasks.
Teachers introduce age-appropriate writing objectives aligned with national curriculum standards, beginning with segmenting for spelling words using their phonics knowledge to construction of simple and compound sentences before gradually advancing to more complex sentence structures and use of paragraphs to organise their writing. Children learn to write for a range of audiences and purposes, beginning with narratives and moving on to explore a wider range of text types such as persuasive, descriptive and informative writing as children become more confident in selecting appropriate language and grammatical choices for the audience and purpose.
Through shared reading modelled by the teacher, teachers begin by immersing the children in high-quality texts and enjoying reading together. Then through speaking and listening activities such as drama, presentations and debates, children are exposed to adventurous vocabulary and begin to orally rehearse sentences for writing at a later stage in the unit. Teachers use model texts and shared writing to focus on children’s knowledge of punctuation and grammatical features at sentence level before children are given the opportunity to apply effective use of these independently in their own writing. Writing sessions are integrated into the timetable, with a balance between guided writing, shared writing and independent practice.
Teachers use model texts, writing scaffolds and targeted feedback to support children’s development, while formative assessments help identify individual learning needs.
The curriculum is often enriched through cross-curricular links, encouraging students to write for real purposes across subjects, and it is supported by professional development for staff to ensure consistent and effective instruction.
Writing Impact
The implementation of our well-structured writing curriculum at St. Aidan’s has a significant impact on pupils’ overall literacy development.
It provides a consistent and progressive framework that builds foundational skills in grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, and composition from an early age.
Through regular, guided practice and exposure to different writing genres, students gain the confidence and ability to express their thoughts clearly and creatively.
Moreover, a strong writing curriculum supports critical thinking, as children learn to organize ideas, present arguments and reflect on their experiences. This not only improves academic performance across subjects but also fosters communication skills that are essential for lifelong learning.
Reading Intent
The intent of the reading curriculum at St. Aidan’s Church of England Primary School is to develop confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers who can understand, interpret and enjoy a wide range of texts.
It aims to build strong foundational skills in phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension, ensuring that all children—regardless of background or ability—have the tools they need to access the wider curriculum.
Through exposure to diverse genres and authors, the curriculum fosters a love of reading, encourages critical thinking and supports language development, laying the groundwork for lifelong learning and success.
Reading Aims
The aim of the reading curriculum at St. Aidan’s is to develop pupils’ fluency, comprehension and enjoyment of reading from an early age.
It is designed to ensure that all children learn to decode words effectively, build a strong vocabulary and understand a wide range of texts across different genres.
The curriculum fosters a love of reading by exposing pupils to high-quality literature and encouraging them to read for pleasure as well as for learning.
It also aims to equip students with the skills to think critically about texts, make inferences and engage in meaningful discussions. Ultimately, the reading curriculum lays the foundation for lifelong learning and academic success across all subjects.
Reading Implementation
At St. Aidan’s, the implementation of our reading curriculum involves a structured, age-appropriate approach designed to build foundational literacy skills and foster a love of reading.
Throughout the school, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised is used for the teaching of reading. In the early years, we follow the Little Wandle Foundations programme which focuses on the phonological skills required as a prerequisite for learning grapheme-phoneme correspondences and blending for reading as well as developing vocabulary and a love of reading. The core programme is then used in Reception and Year 1, helping children to develop essential decoding and segmenting skills for reading and spelling. Teachers use a mix of whole-class instruction, reading practice groups and daily keep up small group and 1:1 sessions to cater to varied learning needs. Once children are able to read age-appropriate texts using their phonics knowledge without overt sounding out, Little Wandle Fluency is used throughout the school to focus on children’s fluency and reading stamina, prosody and comprehension. Teachers use a mix of whole-class instruction, reading practice groups and the Rapid Catch-up KS2 phonics programme to cater to varied learning needs.
The curriculum is aligned with national standards, ensuring progression in vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency across levels.
Regular assessments guide instruction and identify children needing additional support, while a diverse selection of texts promotes engagement, spirituality and inclusivity. Collaboration among teachers, parents and regular support from our Little Wandle consultant ensures consistent delivery and reinforcement of reading skills throughout the school.
Reading Impact
The reading curriculum at St. Aidan’s plays a critical role in shaping children’s foundational literacy skills, which are essential for their academic success and lifelong learning.
By introducing age-appropriate texts, phonics instruction, vocabulary development, and comprehension strategies, the curriculum helps children build fluency, critical thinking and a love for reading. It also supports cognitive and language development, enabling children to access knowledge across all subjects.
Our well-structured reading curriculum fosters equity by providing all pupils, regardless of background, with the tools they need to succeed, laying the groundwork for confident, capable readers who are prepared for the demands of higher education and beyond.
English Curriculum Overview