Our curriculum

At Bishop John Robinson Primary School, our curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to become the best that they can be. Having an understanding of the written word allows pupils to access and understand the world around them. Therefore, the skills of reading and writing are essential for life-long learning.  Our intent is to ensure quality first teaching of English throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stages 1 and 2 and our learners are prepared for life as successful, valuable and socially responsible citizens.

Our English curriculum is designed to develop pupils as fluent readers and writers who have a love of reading, writing and discussion. Through our English lessons, pupils are introduced to a variety of engaging, high-quality texts and stimuli, as well as frequent, purposeful opportunities to practise and review key skills and prior learning.

Our English curriculum introduces pupils to a variety of texts in order to inspire an appreciation of rich and varied literature and all staff strive to instil a lifelong habit of reading for pleasure, widely and often, for all pupils. We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where pupils enjoy and take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts.

Reading

We have a whole school commitment to make sure that every child is able to read and read well. We want our pupils to become enthusiastic, engaged readers and to develop a life-long love of books.  We introduce the pupils to a range of good quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry books through our reading scheme, daily whole-class reading sessions, writing lessons and during scheduled story time at the end of every day.

At Bishop John Robinson Primary School, Phonics is the gateway to confident, fluent reading. Through FFT’s Success for All Phonics programme, we ensure every child receives high-quality teaching and consistent practice. Our vision is to foster a love of reading by equipping children with the tools to decode, comprehend, and enjoy texts from the earliest stages. We have a whole school commitment to make sure that every child is able to read and read well. Our phonics teaching is inclusive, ambitious, and rigorous—designed to close gaps and accelerate progress for all learners. With engaging resources, daily practice, and a strong focus on mastery, we empower children to become independent readers who are ready to thrive across the curriculum and beyond.

From Key Stage 1, pupils will regularly read individually with adults as well as participate in whole-class guided reading sessions and additional intervention sessions for any pupils that might require some support. This allows us to target specific skills and close any gaps in learning quickly, enabling all pupils to keep up with the curriculum being taught in classrooms.

During whole class reading sessions, pupils are encouraged to consider what a ‘good reader’ is and the skills that are required to be able to not only decode words but read for meaning and pleasure. At Bishop John Robinson, we know that ‘good readers’ use a number of skills at once and, therefore, lessons are carefully planned to include opportunities for pupils to identify and practise these with others before applying them independently.

Pupils are also given opportunities to read for pleasure outside of lessons. Every class visits our local library every term to spend time selecting their own books to add to the classroom library. When the pupils have finished their chosen book, they swap with others. We also have our whole school ‘book swap’ areas, where pupils are free to choose any book they like to take home and read. This could mean that pupils are revisiting old favourites or choosing books about specific subjects that are not on their current curriculum. Pupils across the school are eager to share their passion for reading during whole school worship, where each class has the opportunity to recommend a ‘book of the week’.

At Bishop John Robinson, we nurture strong links between home and school and recognise that this is vital in creating positive reading attitudes and routines. We invite parents into school to formally discuss the ways in which we are teaching reading systematically and building a culture around reading at school. This enables us to work in partnership and support any pupils who may need additional support or may be reluctant to read at home.  Parents and school staff are also able to share any reading that takes place at home or school through our reading records which the pupils bring to school every day.

Handwriting

Handwriting is a vital skill and therefore, is taught across all year groups. The foundations are laid from a very early age through the development of gross and fine motor skills.

Our handwriting policy is based on a style that is quick and easy to learn. It should be neat, legible and fast. Pupils should eventually develop the ability to form letters without thinking. An automatic style releases the brain to concentrate on other ideas, i.e. spelling, grammar, syntax, style and content. We are very proud of the many pupils in Key Stage 2 whose excellent handwriting has been rewarded with a pen licence!

Spelling

At Bishop John Robinson Primary School, we aim for our pupils to become fluent and effective writers. Accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar is essential to this. In Years 2, 3 and 4, pupils are taught using a spelling programme which carries on from our Phonics scheme. This allows pupils to build on their phonics knowledge that they have already acquired throughout Early Years Foundation stage and Year 1. We use the National Curriculum as a basis for teaching Spelling in Years 5 and 6 by introducing patterns weekly, allowing for regular practise and building on previously learnt patterns. Pupils are formally tested on these weekly.

Impact

Pupils leave Bishop John Robinson as happy, confident learners who have developed a love of reading and writing with the key skills and knowledge necessary for the next stage of their learning. Pupils are confident in the art of speaking and listening, able to successfully use discussion to communicate and further their learning. 

As all aspects of English are an integral part of the curriculum, cross-curricular writing standards have also improved and skills taught in the English lesson are transferred into other subjects; this shows consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific grammar, punctuation and grammar objectives.

Pupils support one another in their discussions and peer-review each other’s work, and are able to use the correct terminology when doing so, leading to productive conversation.

Pupils will leave Bishop John Robinson:

• being an enthusiastic and confident reader, writer and speaker

• confident to take risks in their reading and writing

• with a love of discussion and enjoy showcasing their knowledge and skills

• with a rich and varied vocabulary

• with the ability to produce high-quality writing across a range of forms and adapt their writing successfully, considering the audience and purpose

• with the passion and skills to access the KS3 curriculum and beyond