At Burnt Oak Junior School, we believe that English is at the heart of children's learning. Reading, writing and communication are essential skills that enable children to express themselves, develop their imagination and succeed across the curriculum.

Our English curriculum encourages children to become confident, enthusiastic readers and creative, independent writers. We want every child to develop a love of reading, take pride in their writing and communicate their ideas clearly and effectively.

We follow the CUSP Reading, Writing and Spelling Curriculums, providing a carefully planned and sequenced approach to developing children's knowledge, understanding and skills throughout Key Stage 2.

Our Reading Curriculum – CUSP

At Burnt Oak Junior School, we believe that reading opens doors to new experiences, ideas and opportunities. We aim to develop fluent, confident readers who enjoy books and appreciate the importance of reading in everyday life.

We follow the CUSP Reading Curriculum, which introduces children to a wide range of high-quality texts, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Through daily 30-minute whole-class reading lessons, children develop their fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and understanding of different authors and genres.

Our reading curriculum aims to ensure that children:

• Read fluently, accurately and with increasing confidence.

• Develop a rich vocabulary and a secure understanding of what they read.

• Retrieve information, make inferences and explain their ideas using evidence from texts.

• Explore a range of authors, genres and literary traditions.

• Develop a genuine enjoyment of reading and an appreciation of books.

Reading for pleasure is an important part of school life. Every classroom has a dedicated reading area, and teachers regularly share stories and other texts with their classes.

We encourage children to read regularly at home and ask parents and carers to support this by listening to their child read, discussing books and recording reading in their Home Reading Records.

Children who require additional support receive targeted teaching and opportunities to practise their reading skills.

Our Writing Curriculum – CUSP

At Burnt Oak Junior School, we want every child to see themselves as a writer. We encourage children to write with imagination, purpose and confidence, developing the skills to communicate effectively for different audiences.

We follow the CUSP Writing Curriculum, which provides a structured approach to developing children's writing knowledge and skills. Learning is carefully sequenced, allowing children to build on their understanding of vocabulary, sentence construction, grammar and different text types.

Our writing curriculum aims to ensure that children:

• Write clearly, accurately and creatively for a range of purposes and audiences.

• Develop an increasingly ambitious and varied vocabulary.

• Understand and apply grammatical structures and punctuation accurately.

• Plan, draft, edit and improve their writing.

• Develop confidence in organising and expressing their ideas.

• Take pride in the presentation and quality of their written work.

Children are given regular opportunities to write, reflect on their work and make improvements. Drama, discussion and role play also support writing, helping children explore characters, develop ideas and bring their writing to life.

Phonics and Early Reading – Little Wandle

We recognise that secure phonics knowledge is essential for children to become confident and independent readers.

At our partner school, Chatsworth Infant School, children begin their reading journey through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme, which provides systematic and structured phonics teaching.

At Burnt Oak Junior School, we continue to support children who need further help with phonics through the Little Wandle Rapid Catch-up Programme. This is specifically designed for children aged seven and above who need additional support to develop their decoding skills and reading fluency.

Targeted teaching helps children address gaps in their phonics knowledge, build confidence and make progress towards becoming independent readers.

For further information and resources to support phonics at home, please visit the Little Wandle Parents' Page.

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar – CUSP

At Burnt Oak Junior School, we follow the CUSP Spelling Curriculum, providing daily, structured spelling lessons that help children understand spelling patterns, rules and word structures.

Spelling, punctuation and grammar are also taught and reinforced through our writing lessons and across the wider curriculum.

Children are encouraged to apply their knowledge accurately and independently, developing the confidence to communicate effectively in all areas of learning.

English Across the Curriculum

Reading, writing and communication are central to learning in every subject at Burnt Oak Junior School.

We provide opportunities for children to apply their English skills across the curriculum, whether researching historical events, explaining scientific discoveries or presenting their ideas in geography.

By making meaningful links between subjects, children develop an understanding of how their reading and writing skills support learning beyond English lessons.

Our aim is for children to leave Burnt Oak Junior School as enthusiastic readers, confident writers and effective communicators, equipped with the skills and love of language that will support them throughout their education and beyond.

For further information about our curriculum, please visit the CUSP Curriculum website.