At Quinton Primary School, English lies at the very heart of our curriculum and is fundamental to every child’s success. We place the highest importance on ensuring that all pupils develop strong skills in phonics, reading and writing, as we recognise that these are the foundations for accessing the wider curriculum and for lifelong learning. Our English curriculum is carefully planned and progressively sequenced from Early Years to Year 6, fully meeting the statutory expectations of the National Curriculum for England, and ensuring that every child becomes a confident communicator.
We prioritise early reading through a rigorous and systematic approach to phonics, enabling children to quickly develop the skills to decode, blend and read with fluency. This strong start is vital, and we are committed to ensuring that no child is left behind. As pupils move through the school, reading remains central to their learning. Children are immersed in a rich and diverse range of high-quality texts that broaden their knowledge, spark their imagination and deepen their understanding of the world. Through discussion, questioning and reflection, pupils develop strong comprehension skills and learn to think critically about what they read.
Writing is taught with equal importance and purpose. Pupils are given frequent and meaningful opportunities to write across a range of genres, audiences and subjects, allowing them to express their ideas with clarity and creativity. We place a strong emphasis on developing vocabulary, grammar and punctuation, alongside the writing process of planning, drafting and editing. Writing is embedded across the curriculum, ensuring that pupils can apply their skills in real and purposeful contexts.
We are passionate about creating a culture where reading and writing are valued, celebrated and enjoyed by all. Our aim is for every child to leave Quinton Primary School as a fluent reader, a confident writer and an articulate speaker, fully equipped with the skills they need to thrive in their future education and beyond.
At Quinton, reading is a key part of our curriculum and is developed through a structured whole-class approach. After completing the Twinkl Phonics Scheme, typically by the end of Year 2, children take part in regular reading comprehension lessons three times a week.
In these lessons, pupils explore a range of carefully selected extracts and are taught key comprehension skills using the VIPERSS framework: Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Sequence and Summarise. These skills help children to understand texts deeply and answer questions effectively.
There is a strong focus on whole-class discussion, developing children’s oracy skills and encouraging spoken reasoning, debate and shared understanding. We follow Medium Term Plans created by FREDs Reading Scheme to ensure a clear progression of high-quality texts across year groups.
Children also complete “Flying Solo” tasks, where they answer questions independently after discussion, helping to check and strengthen their understanding.
Below you will see and overview of the Medium Term Plans for each Year Group
