At Upton Junior School, we believe that English is fundamental to learning, communication and success in life. Our aim is to develop confident readers, creative and purposeful writers, and articulate speakers who can think critically and communicate effectively in a wide range of situations.

Reading is the golden thread of our English curriculum. Through carefully selected, high-quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry, pupils encounter diverse authors, perspectives and experiences. These texts broaden horizons, develop cultural awareness, enrich vocabulary and knowledge, and inspire a lifelong love of reading. We want every child to experience the pleasure of books and develop the skills they need to access learning and participate confidently in society.

Reading

Reading is at the heart of learning at Upton. Through daily, carefully structured reading lessons, pupils develop fluency, comprehension and the confidence to engage with increasingly challenging texts. Teachers explicitly model reading strategies and provide opportunities for pupils to retrieve information, make inferences, predict, summarise, explore vocabulary and consider authors’ choices. Pupils learn to support their ideas with evidence from the text and discuss their interpretations thoughtfully.

High-quality classroom dialogue, regular opportunities to hear texts read aloud, and shared, guided and independent reading help pupils become fluent, reflective and independent readers. Our classroom reading corners provide access to a broad range of books, including contemporary and classic texts. Reading for pleasure is celebrated through activities and initiatives such as World Book Day, National Poetry Day, Reading Ambassadors and reading buddies.

Author of the Term

Each term, pupils explore the work of a carefully selected author through assemblies and related learning opportunities. Optional home learning projects linked to these authors take place across the school, encouraging children to explore books, develop their creativity and share their learning with their families.

Our authors are selected to reflect a range of backgrounds, experiences, cultures and perspectives. Through their writing, pupils discover different places, explore new ideas and broaden their understanding of the world.

Our Authors of the Term for 2026–2027 are:

• Oliver Jeffers – imaginative picture books that encourage curiosity and wonder.

• Michael Rosen – engaging poetry and stories that celebrate language, rhythm and humour.

• Zanib Mian – including the Planet Omar series, which explores family, friendship, identity and everyday adventures.

• Philip Pullman – imaginative storytelling that invites readers to explore complex ideas and richly imagined worlds.

• Onjali Q. Raúf – including The Boy at the Back of the Class, which explores friendship, empathy, kindness and the experiences of refugees.

• Tom Fletcher – imaginative, humorous stories that inspire children’s enjoyment of reading.

Accelerated Reader (AR)

Accelerated Reader is a computer-based programme that helps teachers monitor and support pupils’ independent reading. After finishing a book, pupils complete a short comprehension quiz at school or at home. The results help teachers understand how well pupils have understood what they have read and inform future teaching and reading recommendations.

Accelerated Reader supports the development of reading comprehension and encourages reading for pleasure. Pupils are introduced to the programme in school, where teachers show them how to select appropriate books and complete quizzes.

How does Accelerated Reader work?

1. Finding the right reading level

At the beginning of each term, pupils complete a Star Reading assessment at school. This helps teachers identify an appropriate Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which provides a suggested range of book levels to support progress while avoiding unnecessary frustration. Pupils’ ZPDs are recorded in their reading records and reviewed as they progress.

2. Choosing a book

Pupils select a book within their ZPD from their classroom reading corner or from other suitable books available around school. The ZPD helps guide their choices, providing a balance between books they can read comfortably and those that offer an appropriate level of challenge.

3. Reading at home

Pupils take their books home to read and should bring their reading records to school every day. Parents and carers can support their child by listening to them read, sharing books and discussing characters, events and unfamiliar vocabulary.

4. Taking a quiz

Once pupils have finished a book, they complete a short quiz, ideally within 24 hours and within 48 hours where possible. Quizzes usually take no longer than 10 minutes and can be completed at school or at home. Pupils may refer to their book during the quiz, so they can check details and demonstrate their understanding rather than relying on memory alone. Support is also available from our librarians during lunchtime in the library.

5. Using the results to support progress

Quiz results, alongside other classroom assessments, help teachers monitor pupils’ comprehension, identify areas for development and tailor teaching to individual needs. The aim is to help every child become a more confident, capable and enthusiastic reader.

Writing

We aim to develop confident, creative and purposeful writers who can communicate effectively for different audiences and purposes. Our writing curriculum is carefully sequenced to build skills progressively, enabling pupils to write with increasing fluency, imagination and technical accuracy across a range of genres.

Teachers model the writing process using an ‘I do, We do, You do’ approach, making the choices and techniques of successful writers clear. Pupils learn to generate and organise ideas, plan their work, draft, revise, edit and improve their writing. Working walls, shared planning, partner discussion and carefully tailored scaffolds help pupils develop their ideas before applying their learning independently.

Writing journals encourage creativity and experimentation, while opportunities to publish a piece of writing each term give pupils an authentic purpose for their work and allow them to celebrate their progress. Throughout their time at Upton, pupils develop the knowledge, vocabulary and skills to become reflective, resilient and increasingly independent writers.

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)

Spelling, punctuation and grammar are taught explicitly, with three spelling sessions and two punctuation and grammar sessions each week. Practical and interactive activities, regular retrieval practice and opportunities to revisit prior learning help pupils secure their understanding over time.

We make clear connections between SPaG lessons and the wider English curriculum so that pupils understand how grammatical choices, punctuation and accurate spelling strengthen their writing. Through modelling, discussion and purposeful application, pupils learn to transfer their knowledge into their own work and communicate with clarity and precision.

Handwriting is also taught through teacher modelling and dedicated sessions twice a week, with additional practice provided where needed. This supports pupils in developing legible, fluent handwriting as they progress through the school.

Vocabulary and Oracy

Speaking and listening underpin the development of reading and writing and are central to learning across the curriculum. At Upton, we create talk-rich classrooms where pupils are encouraged to listen actively, articulate their ideas, explain their thinking and build on the contributions of others.

Pupils have regular opportunities to rehearse sentences orally before writing, participate in discussions and debates, perform poetry and present their work to different audiences. Teachers explicitly teach and revisit vocabulary from the texts pupils study, helping them understand words in context and use increasingly ambitious language in their own speaking and writing.

These experiences develop pupils’ confidence, fluency and precision as communicators, preparing them to express themselves effectively in school and beyond.

Drama

Drama gives pupils opportunities to explore characters, emotions and motivations, developing their empathy, confidence and expressive skills. Throughout their time at Upton, pupils have the opportunity to perform to a range of audiences, including their peers, staff, visitors, families and children from across the Viking Academy Trust.

As part of their final year at Upton, all Year 6 pupils take part in an end-of-year production. This provides an opportunity to develop performance skills, work collaboratively and celebrate their time at the school.

Assessment, Progress and Inclusion

Assessment is an integral part of our English curriculum. Teachers use questioning, discussion, feedback and ongoing assessment to identify pupils’ strengths, address misconceptions and adapt teaching to meet individual needs.

Our curriculum is designed to build on prior knowledge and provide appropriate support and challenge so that all pupils can make progress. Where pupils need additional help with reading, targeted phonics teaching supports the development of essential skills. Teachers also use strategies such as word banks, sentence stems, writing frameworks and focused adult support to help pupils access learning while developing independence.

English is reinforced across the wider curriculum, giving pupils opportunities to apply and consolidate their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in meaningful contexts and across different subjects.

Working in Partnership with Families

Parents and carers play an important role in helping children become confident communicators and enthusiastic readers and writers. You can support your child by:

• Reading together regularly: Listen to your child read, share books aloud and talk about characters, events, vocabulary and ideas.

• Talking every day: Encourage your child to explain their thinking, describe experiences, ask questions and explore new words.

• Encouraging reading for pleasure: Help your child discover books, authors and genres that interest them.

• Making writing part of everyday life: Encourage diaries, stories, letters, reviews and other forms of writing for real purposes.

• Celebrating effort and progress: Praise your child’s ideas, encourage them to improve their work and help them develop confidence and resilience.

At Upton Junior School, we want every child to leave us as a confident reader, an ambitious and capable writer, and an articulate communicator. Through a carefully sequenced, inclusive and ambitious English curriculum, we equip pupils with the knowledge, skills and enthusiasm for language they need to thrive in future learning and beyond.