At Westcliff, English is at the heart of our curriculum; it is the foundation on which every subject is built. Our mission is to nurture a generation of confident, fluent readers and expressive writers who carry a love for language with them long after they leave our classrooms. Reading and writing are essential life skills and we are dedicated to ensuring every pupil leaves us as a fluent, lifelong reader and a skilled writer who engages deeply with the world around them.
English Curriculum
Our literacy journey begins in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where a rich variety of activities introduces children to the fundamentals of phonics and writing. We focus on igniting an early interest in reading, ensuring a strong foundation for future success. We bring literacy to life by immersing children in creative mark-making, and diverse books, we foster the essential skills and enthusiasm they need to become confident communicators from the very beginning of their learning journey.
The journey continues into Key Stage One, where technical phonics skills meet creative expression. Building on their phonics foundation, children are encouraged to apply their knowledge directly to their writing. We surround our pupils with exceptional books to instil a lifelong love of reading and a spirit of discovery. This immersion ignites a passion for discovery and the confidence to channel their imagination onto the page. We aim to foster a sense of wonder and curiosity that empowers pupils to explore their imaginations and express themselves through their written work.
Recognising that reading is the cornerstone of academic success, we adopt a holistic approach to literacy. In writing, we empower our pupils to master grammatical precision, accurate spelling, and a fluent handwriting style. By exposing children to a rich and varied vocabulary, we enable them to decipher complex language and communicate with confidence in both formal and informal settings. Our goal is for every child to become a meticulous writer who takes pride in their grammar, spelling, and penmanship. We enrich our pupils’ vocabulary to sharpen their reading comprehension and provide them with the tools to express themselves eloquently, whether in speech or in writing. By building a diverse vocabulary, we help children to unlock unfamiliar texts and use sophisticated language naturally in their daily lives.
Reading to Learn at Westcliff Primary Academy
We aim to provide children with a language rich environment, high quality texts and inspiring learning opportunities. To ensure a holistic approach to the teaching of reading, we implement the following:
Our Reading Spine
At Westcliff, our aim is to ensure that by the time children leave us to begin secondary school, they are competent readers who can recommend books to their peers, have a thirst for reading a range of genres including poetry, and participate in discussions about books, including evaluating an author’s use of language and the impact this can have on the reader. To ensure this takes place we have our Westcliff Reading Spine. To view our Reading Spine, please click below.
Our Reading Spine is a core of books that create a living library inside a child’s mind. It is a store of classics and essential reads that help children to engage at a deeper level and enter the world of the story. The best of children's literature operates on many different levels and can engage readers in a myriad of ways.
Each year group has a set of core books to build a common canon of stories that will enhance imagination and equip the children with a range of vocabulary. To supplement the reading spine, every topic has a selection of key texts with a range of nonfiction and additional fiction books. We also have a variety of poetry to further enhance our reading curriculum.
Our Reading Spine will ensure that each child is able to:
• Gain a life-long enjoyment of reading and books;
• Read accurately, fluently and with understanding;
• Apply a knowledge of structured synthetic phonics in order to decode unfamiliar words with increasing accuracy and speed;
• Be able to read with expression, clarity and confidence;
• Develop a good linguistic knowledge of vocabulary and grammar;
• Read and respond to a wide range of different types of texts;
• Develop a deeper level of emotional intelligence and empathy; and
• Read fluently, and with confidence, in any subject in their forthcoming secondary education and beyond.
Each classroom has:
- A vibrant reading corner, to foster an environment with reading at the heart of learning. This dedicated space is filled with a wide range of authors to inspire a lifelong love of books.
- Cross curricular texts which allow the children to deepen their subject knowledge through reading. This offers the opportunities for the children to apply their reading skills across the curriculum.
- Daily novel time: Daily sessions where teachers read novels aloud, promoting shared enjoyment and confident oral reading. The class novels are read together with the children; this also provides an opportunity for the children to read aloud to their peers.
- Library Visits: Beyond weekly scheduled visits to the school library, our Reading Ambassadors host lunchtime sessions for pupils who wish to explore the collection during their break. We actively encourage a community of readers where children share book reviews and exchange recommendations, both individually and as a class.
Reading for Pleasure at Westcliff Primary Academy
Reading for Pleasure is the entitlement of every child. We feel that embedding a love of reading in our classrooms, can be transformative to our pupils’ academic success. Our weekly library slots enable the children to select books of their choice, books that they want to read for pleasure.
- ‘Reading for pleasure has many non-literacy benefits and can increase empathy, improve relationships with others, reduce the symptoms of depression and improve wellbeing throughout life’ (The Reading Agency 2015)
- ‘Reading for pleasure has social benefits as well and can make people feel more connected to the wider community. Reading increases a person’s understanding of their own identity, improves empathy and gives them an insight into the world view of others’ (The Reading Agency 2015).
- ‘Students who read for pleasure make significantly more progress in vocabulary, spelling and maths than children who read very little’ (Sullivan and Brown 2013).
Oracy at Westcliff Primary Academy
We believe that talk is fundamental to learning. At Westcliff Primary Academy, we believe that all of our pupils have the power to change the world with their voices! We are proud to be part of the Voice 21 Project. Find out more about our Voice 21 journey here.