At King’s Oak we believe that a high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently. This is so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. We believe that a love of reading is the cornerstone to developing a life-long learner and for this reason, it is at the heart of our whole curriculum.

We employ a linguistic phonics approach (Sounds Write) throughout the whole school to teach early reading and spelling. Only once they become fluent readers can children truly experience the joys that reading has to offer.

In reading lessons, pupils are exposed to a broad and varied range of aspirational texts, with texts ranging from classics such as Street Child to modern day literature such as The Graveyard Book. The majority of our texts are linked to the topics taught e.g. The Silver Sword linked to World War 2. Pupils are taught to analyse literary elements and techniques to allow them to uncover layers of meaning and a comprehensive understanding of the text. Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary is taught throughout the curriculum to increase children’s knowledge and understanding of the subjects being taught.

Handwriting, sentence structure, grammar and punctuation are explicitly taught through writing lessons and children apply their knowledge within fiction and non-fiction written tasks linked to the texts studied. Children are given opportunities to read, analyse and perform poetry in every year group, with The Lady of Shallott and The Highwayman among our favourites.