English
Reading
At Mount Pleasant we instil a love for reading. We want children to appreciate our rich and varied literature heritage and to develop a habit of reading widely and often so that they become lifelong readers. We want our children to have a secure basis in English as we fully appreciate how the skills learnt in this subject are vital in them accessing and achieving in the wider education and participating fully as successful members of society. We have a rigorous and well organised English curriculum that provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion. We use texts recommended by Pathways to Read and Write, alongside a carefully selected range of language-rich texts that promote diversity and broaden pupils’ knowledge, vocabulary and understanding of different experiences and perspectives.
Phonics
Pupils develop their early reading skills through daily, systematic phonics sessions from Reception to Year 2. These are complemented by regular reading sessions, where pupils apply their phonics knowledge to decode carefully matched books and develop their accuracy, fluency and confidence as readers.
Reading Fluency
We place a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ reading fluency so that they can read accurately, confidently and with appropriate expression. Pupils have regular opportunities to practise reading aloud to adults, reread familiar texts and develop automaticity and pace through carefully planned reading activities. In KS2, teachers identify pupils who require additional support and targeted reading fluency interventions are provided for these pupils. This ensures that pupils develop the fluency needed to access and understand increasingly challenging texts across the curriculum.
Whole Class Reading
Pupils engage with a carefully selected range of high-quality, diverse and meaningful texts. Through whole-class reading sessions, pupils develop and apply key comprehension skills, including predicting, questioning, clarifying and summarising. This supports pupils to deepen their understanding of texts, develop their vocabulary and become confident, fluent readers.
Story Time
Love of reading is further developed through daily story time, which is a calm and relaxing end to each day. We have carefully selected stories and poems which build upon literature from English lessons and widen children’s exposure even further.
Libraries
The school has invested significantly in two dedicated libraries to promote a strong culture and love of reading across all year groups. The EYFS and KS1 library has been thoughtfully designed to encourage curiosity, enjoyment and engagement with books, providing an inviting and accessible space for children to read, explore and listen to stories. The KS2 library reflects pupils’ increasing maturity and supports their transition towards a more independent and purposeful approach to reading, enabling them to select and engage with a wider range of texts.
Reading Challenges
We promote regular reading at home through our Reading Challenges, encouraging pupils to read widely and regularly beyond the classroom. Pupils record their home reading in their Reading Journals and are recognised for their commitment through reading badges in EYFS and KS1. Older pupils are encouraged to take home carefully selected reading challenge books, broadening their reading experiences and developing positive, lifelong reading habits.
Oracy
We recognise the importance of oracy in supporting children’s communication, language and wider learning. In EYFS, we use the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme to provide targeted support for children who demonstrate weaknesses in their oral language skills. Across the school, pupils are given regular opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills, including through assemblies and a weekly oracy challenge displayed on each class door. These opportunities encourage pupils to articulate their ideas, develop their vocabulary and speak confidently in a range of contexts.
Teaching Writing
Writing is taught through the Pathways to Write approach, which provides a clear and progressive sequence of learning and enables pupils to develop and apply their writing skills across a range of forms. Teachers explicitly model writing and provide opportunities for pupils to orally rehearse, develop and refine their ideas before writing independently. The Pathways to Write mastery approach ensures that key writing skills, including vocabulary, sentence construction, grammar, punctuation and text structure, are taught, revisited and embedded over time. Pupils are given regular opportunities to apply these skills in increasingly independent and purposeful writing, as well as to edit and improve their work. This systematic approach supports pupils to build secure knowledge over time and develop increasing independence and produce high-quality writing.Teachers maintain high expectations for all pupils and adapt teaching appropriately to meet individual needs. Scaffolds, including vocabulary banks, sentence starters, writing frames, targeted questioning and adult support, are used where necessary to enable pupils to access the same ambitious curriculum. As pupils develop confidence and competence, these supports are reduced to promote increasing independence and ownership of their writing.
Handwriting
We recognise handwriting as an important foundational skill that supports pupils to write fluently, accurately and with increasing automaticity. Handwriting is taught systematically across the school, with a clear focus on the ‘4 Ps’: posture, pencil grip, paper position and pressure. In EYFS and KS1, we use Little Wandle resources to develop pencil control, correct letter formation and consistent handwriting habits. In KS2, Letter-Join supports pupils to develop a fluent, legible and increasingly joined handwriting style. Pupils who require additional support are identified and receive targeted handwriting interventions, enabling them to address specific areas of difficulty and develop greater confidence, fluency and independence.
Spelling
We also recognise spelling as a fundamental skill that underpins pupils’ ability to write accurately, fluently and confidently. In EYFS and KS1, spelling is developed through the Little Wandle phonics programme, with a clear progression from phoneme–grapheme correspondence to the application of spelling patterns and rules in Year 2. From Year 3 onwards, pupils follow Pathways to Spell which is linked to the Pathways to Write texts, ensuring that pupils encounter and practise new spelling patterns and rules within meaningful contexts. This enables pupils to apply their developing spelling knowledge immediately within their writing, helping to secure learning, strengthen retention and develop increasing accuracy and independence.
Impact
As a result of all of the above, pupils develop a strong enjoyment of reading and writing and take pride in applying and showcasing their developing knowledge and skills. Pupils demonstrate increasing confidence, independence and stamina in their reading and writing. By the end of KS2, attainment in both reading and writing is above the national average at the Expected Standard and broadly in line with national at Greater Depth for writing and above for reading. This represents strong progress from pupils’ low starting points when they join our nursery.