At St Matthew’s, we believe that strong reading and writing skills are the foundation for success across the whole curriculum and in later life. Our English curriculum is designed to develop confident, enthusiastic readers and writers who can express themselves clearly and creatively.

In the Early Years, we place a strong emphasis on communication, language and early literacy. We use Talk Through Stories and Drawing Club to develop children’s vocabulary, imagination and storytelling skills. Through rich texts, discussion and creative activities, children build confidence in speaking, listening and early mark-making, laying strong foundations for reading and writing.

We use the Pathways to Read and Pathways to Write programmes to provide a structured, engaging and high-quality approach to English. These programmes are built around rich, high-quality texts that inspire children’s imagination while developing key reading and writing skills.

Through Pathways to Read, pupils explore a wide range of carefully chosen books. They develop their comprehension, vocabulary and inference skills through meaningful discussion and thoughtful questioning. This helps children become fluent, confident readers who enjoy books and understand what they read.

Pathways to Write builds on these texts, guiding pupils through a clear sequence of learning that develops their writing skills step by step. Children learn how to plan, draft, edit and improve their work, while exploring different genres and purposes for writing. Grammar, punctuation and spelling are taught in context, helping pupils apply their knowledge in meaningful ways.

Our aim is for all pupils to:

• Develop a love of reading for pleasure and information

• Write with confidence, accuracy and creativity

• Build a rich vocabulary and strong communication skills

• Be well prepared for the next stage of their education

English is at the heart of our curriculum, and we provide regular opportunities for pupils to read, write, speak and listen across all subjects.