At East Acton Primary, we believe that a high-quality curriculum in English will support pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others. Through reading and writing, pupils develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually, helping them to grow into responsible, confident and well-rounded individuals, in line with their right to an education that develops their talents and abilities to the fullest (UNCRC Article 29).

Literature plays a key role in this development, and all English work at East Acton is based around high-quality texts. The key purpose of our English curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by giving pupils a strong command of the spoken and written word, while fostering a lifelong love of literature. Pupils are encouraged to explore a wide range of texts, respecting their right to access information and materials from diverse sources (UNCRC Article 17) and supporting their right to engage in cultural and artistic life (Article 31).

Vocabulary development is central to our teaching of Reading and Writing at East Acton and this is taught explicitly in Reading lessons and reinforced through all subjects. Through the core quality text studied, the pupils at East Acton will learn to appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage and by the end of their primary school journey be able to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.

The writing curriculum is carefully planned alongside the aims of the National Curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2, with clear progression across year groups. Pupils have ample opportunities to engage in drama and role play to generate creative ideas for their writing. Spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting are taught discretely, and students are encouraged to apply these skills when editing and proofreading their work. Teachers model writing through shared writing sessions, helping pupils to develop confidence in expressing their ideas and opinions (Article 13).

Phonics

In the early stages of reading and writing, children at East Acton are taught to develop their phonological awareness through the Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) programme, a systematic and structured approach to phonics. Daily lessons enable children to apply their phonic knowledge to read and spell with confidence. Once children can segment words for spelling and blend sounds for reading, they begin to develop their comprehension skills.

Essential Letters and Sounds is validated by the Department for Education and is designed to teach children to read through decoding and blending. It explicitly links the sounds of our language (phonemes) with their written representations (graphemes), helping children to understand the spellings of sounds within English. Only the essential elements are included, with sounds presented in their purest form, ensuring that every lesson is taught to the highest standard.

The principles of ELS are based on:

• Whole-class, high-quality first teaching with well-structured daily lesson plans.

• The use of consistent terminology for teachers, children, and parents.

• Consistent resources that support the teaching of ELS.

• Effective use of repetition to reinforce learning.

• Regular, manageable assessment to ensure all children keep up, rather than having to catch up.

Children learn the common sounds of English and how to blend them for reading (decoding) while developing handwriting and spelling skills (encoding). They read lively storybooks and non-fiction texts that match their phonic knowledge, helping them experience early success in reading. Daily story-time, poetry, singing, and rhyme further support oracy, fluency, and a lifelong love of reading.

The Importance of Reading

Reading is a vital life skill, and the development of effective reading strategies equips children to read and write confidently throughout their school life and beyond. Daily reading for enjoyment broadens vocabulary, builds general knowledge, and develops understanding and respect for different cultures (Articles 17 and 29).

Our classrooms and school reflect a literature-rich environment. Working walls display tiered and subject-specific vocabulary used in oral and written work, while children enjoy selecting a variety of reading materials from reading corners and recommending texts to peers. Pupils are encouraged to read for pleasure during daily quiet reading time and hear adults model fluent reading. They can borrow books weekly from our well-stocked school library and access additional fiction and non-fiction texts from Hounslow Library Service.

At East Acton, carefully selected texts inspire and motivate pupils, nurturing a love of reading and supporting their right to a quality education (Article 28). In Key Stage 1, children follow the Essential Letters and Sounds programme to develop phonics skills, reading regularly to adults in guided small groups with books matched to their phonic knowledge. They also have access to recommended books, core texts, home readers, and may select a book from the school or class library to share with an adult at home, supporting their right to guidance and parental involvement in learning (Article 5).

From Year 2, pupils develop reading skills through the study of high-quality texts that are often more challenging than those they can read independently. These texts form the basis for reading, writing, speaking and listening tasks, with links made to foundation subjects wherever possible.

By the time children reach Year 6, they have already developed a secure understanding of all the key reading domains. This solid foundation enables them to engage confidently with more complex and challenging texts. At this stage, pupils are introduced to carefully selected reading materials that are specifically designed to test and extend their skills in fact retrieval, inference, understanding word meanings in context, and summarising information effectively. These tailored texts prepare them for the demands of secondary education and ensure they can apply their reading skills with precision and independence.

How parents can support their children at home

Read to your child

Reading daily to young children, starting in infancy, supports language development and early literacy skills. Sharing books from the earliest months stimulates the part of the brain that helps children understand the meaning of language and lays the foundation for key language, literacy, and social skills.

Have them tell you a story
One great way to introduce kids to literacy is to take their dictation. Have them recount an experience or make up a story.

Teach phonetic awareness

Young children need to learn to hear the individual sounds (phonemes) within words. Play simple language games, such as changing one sound in a familiar word (e.g., Jen → Pen, Hen, Men) or breaking a word into its sounds (chair → ch-ch-ch-air). This supports reading and spelling development.

Listen to your child read

Encourage your child to retell the story or information they’ve read. Ask who the story was about, what happened, or, for non-fiction, how something works and what its parts are. Reading is not just about sounding out words—it also develops comprehension, memory, and critical thinking.

Ask questions
When your child reads, get him/her to retell the story or information. If it’s a story, ask who it was about and what happened. If it’s an informational text, have your child explain what it was about and how it worked, or what its parts were. Reading involves not just sounding out words, but thinking about and remembering ideas and events.

Bedtime stories

Make reading together a part of your daily routine. Bedtime stories are a relaxing way to share books and develop a lifelong love of reading.

Read a variety of texts

Encourage your child to explore different types of reading materials - non-fiction, comics, graphic novels, magazines, or leaflets. Diverse texts help keep children engaged and motivated while exposing them to a wide range of vocabulary, ideas, and styles.