Our English curriculum has been designed to embed a creative, consistent and sequenced approach to English which we hope will ignite a life-long passion for the subject. We strive for all children become confident and fluid readers, enabling them to use their love for reading for both information and pleasure.

We teach English though discrete English Lessons, Phonics Sessions, and Whole Class Reading lessons.  English opportunities also permeate through our wider curriculum. We use Ready, Steady, Write for our Writing lessons and Ready, Steady, Spell. 

Reading is at the very heart of our SHINE Curriculum. Children’s reading skills are developed through a range of progressive texts, whilst prioritising reading for pleasure at the heart of all we do. Our text-led curriculum allows us to carefully select a range of high-quality texts in order to immerse our children in rich language to teach our reading and writing curriculum. The selection of recommended books are used as a high-quality stimuli for writing and enables children to be fully immersed in the text, allowing children to carefully craft their writing through a range of experiences in the immerse, analyse and write process.

Children can apply their skills through independent writing sessions known as ‘Write and Shine’ and write for purpose when publishing their final written pieces. Core skills permeate every stage of learning for grammar, spelling and comprehension and prepare children well for the high expectations we hold of them. A wide range of experiences and opportunities help to guide children’s thirst for learning thus developing children’s individual flair and passion for the subject.

We are passionate about the teaching of Reading and teach a Read into Write approach in our English Lessons. We have chosen this approach as at Highfield St Matthew’s as we want all of our children to develop a love for English as a whole and in turn as teachers, model that passion and drive for the subject. The Read into Write approach is broken down into three stages:

Immerse, Analyse, Write

Each year follows our long-term plan which outlines the high-quality class text for each half term, the genre and writing outcome expected for the unit.

Children read a high-quality text assigned from their year group English Long-Term Plan. The assigned high-quality text is a ‘driver’ for both Reading and Writing lessons and form our whole school Reading Spine. At Highfield St Matthew’s we teach a Reading into Writing approach. Texts have been carefully chosen to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and to provide a high-quality stimulus for the teaching of Reading as well as being an exciting, rich and boy friendly text for the class.

Our exciting library areas celebrate books from around the world with different settings and cultures. We have a varied, rich selection of texts to interest all readers within all age groups. Our new KS1 library hosts all of our phonics books for KS1 children to choose a fiction, non-fiction and corresponding book bag book to take home and read. 

Home / School Reading

At Highfield St Matthew’s C.E. Primary School, we are truly passionate that all children at Highfield learn to read, as reading is the gateway to all learning. Therefore, we strive for every child to learn to read and for them to develop a love and passion for reading by reading together and sharing stories.

Home Reading Expectations

For children in Reception, Year 1 – 2 we ask that reading is supported a minimum of 3 times per week at home.

For children in Year 3 -6 we ask that reading is supported a minimum of 4 times per week at home.

Your child’s reading diary is a link between home and school. Your child’s teacher will check and sign your child’s reading diary twice a week.

Home Reading Incentives

The children will be rewarded for reading at home every half term.

If your child reads:

• 1-3 times per week at home, they will receive a Bronze reward.
• 4-5 times per week at home, they will receive a Silver reward.
• 6-7 times per week at home, they will receive a Gold reward.
• All reading counts, including reading from a variety of sources and sharing stories as a family.

Lots of reading takes place in school and there is excitement about improvements being made to the library areas. We have spent time creating a multi-media room which includes a KS2 library area. In here, children can select books from the Accelerated Reader Scheme and also books for pleasure. We have created a reading an exciting reading chair and a reading corner with cushions and bean bags for quiet reading. Several new books have been bought so there are a variety of Accelerated Reader and reading for pleasure books for the children to choose from.

At Highfield St. Matthew's C.E. Primary School we use the following schemes:

Read Write Inc

Accelerated Reader