English

English at Parkside Academy

Our Belief

At Parkside Academy, we believe a great education starts with strong English skills. Reading, writing, grammar, and spelling are at the heart of everything we do. These skills not only help children do well in every subject—they also open up the world around them and prepare them for life beyond school.

How We Teach English

English is woven into all areas of our curriculum. From the very start, we focus on helping children become confident readers and writers. We start with phonics—helping children match sounds to letters—so they can learn to read with success and enjoyment.

As they grow, children build their vocabulary, learn how sentences work, and explore the richness of the English language. They also read a wide range of high-quality books, poems, and stories. These texts help children understand different cultures, people, and points of view.

English isn’t just taught in English lessons—it connects with every subject, from history and science to art and geography. We also bring the subject to life through visits from real authors. In 2024, we were proud to welcome author Tom Palmer, and this year, poet Matt Goodfellow inspired our pupils with his work. We also celebrate words through poetry competitions, reading challenges, and more.

Reading at Parkside

Reading is at the heart of everything we do. From our youngest babies to our confident Year 6 readers, we aim to build a love of books and language that lasts a lifetime.

How We Teach Reading

We follow a clear and structured approach to help every child become a fluent reader:

• In Early Years, children enjoy daily stories, songs, and rhymes to build their listening and speaking skills.
• From Reception, we teach phonics using the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme. Children learn to:
  • Recognise sounds and letters
  • Blend sounds to read words
  • Segment words to spell them
  • Build confidence using storybooks that match their reading level
• In Key Stage 1, children continue daily phonics lessons until they’re confident readers. Then, they move onto our Book Band Scheme, which helps them progress through a wide variety of exciting fiction and non-fiction books.

Reading in Key Stage 2

As children grow, their reading continues to develop. In Key Stage 2, children:

• Continue through the book bands until they become ‘Free Readers’
• Read widely across different genres, authors, and cultures
• Learn more advanced comprehension and inference skills
• Use reading to support learning in all subjects
• Take part in book clubs, author visits, and reading competitions to keep reading fun and exciting

What We Use:

• Read Write Inc. (RWI): A structured phonics programme taught in small groups to help children build strong foundations in reading and spelling.
• Book Band Scheme: A colour-coded book system to make sure every child reads books that are just right for them—challenging but enjoyable.

How You Can Help at Home

Parents and carers play a big part in their child’s reading journey. Here’s how you can support your child:

• Read together every day—even a few minutes makes a difference
• Talk about books, characters, and stories
• Show your child that you enjoy reading too

Together, we can help your child develop a lifelong love of reading and learning.

Writing at Parkside

At Parkside, writing is a central part of our curriculum. It is taught explicitly during English lessons across a wide range of genres and is embedded throughout all subjects. All writing topics are carefully linked to the wider curriculum, enabling children to make meaningful connections between subjects and deepen their understanding. We aim to develop confident, enthusiastic writers and to celebrate children’s achievements by proudly displaying their writing across the school.

Through our writing curriculum, we aim for children to:

• Develop a fluent and consistent handwriting style
• Be exposed to a wide range of genres and styles of writing
• Write confidently for different audiences and purposes
• Spell accurately and with confidence
• Apply grammar and punctuation rules competently across the whole curriculum
• Develop and use a rich and varied vocabulary
• Speak confidently and listen attentively

How We Teach Writing

We follow a clear, structured approach that is consistent with other schools within the Furness Education Trust, ensuring continuity and progression for all children.

Early Years and Year 1

In Early Years and Year 1, children follow a skills-based approach to writing, in line with the Furness Education Trust. Writing is taught through carefully chosen stimuli linked to our wider curriculum, allowing children to build essential writing skills while developing subject knowledge and vocabulary.

Children are supported to:

• Develop fine motor control and handwriting skills
• Build sentence structure through talk and shared writing
• Apply phonics knowledge to spell words accurately
• Explore a range of text types and purposes for writing
• Express ideas confidently through speaking and listening

Daily opportunities for mark making, talk, and writing are provided using a wide range of engaging resources and contexts. Fun and interactive games are used to encourage a positive attitude towards spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

In Year 2, children build upon the skills developed in Early Years and Year 1. They explore a wider range of genres and writing styles and begin to adapt their writing for different audiences and purposes. Sentence structure, spelling, grammar, and punctuation are taught explicitly and applied within meaningful writing tasks linked to the curriculum.

Writing in Key Stage 2

As children progress into Key Stage 2, their writing skills continue to deepen and mature. Children:

• Revisit and build upon genres introduced earlier in the school
• Explore a broad range of writing styles and text types
• Use an increasingly rich and ambitious vocabulary
• Develop fluent, joined handwriting that is neat and legible
• Apply spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules accurately across the curriculum
• Use writing to support learning in all subjects

At Parkside, children take great pride in the presentation of their work. High standards are encouraged through consistent expectations and positive recognition of well-presented writing.

To further inspire a love of writing, children take part in writing clubs, author visits, and workshops, ensuring writing remains engaging, purposeful, and enjoyable.