At St. Richard's Catholic Primary School we encourage our pupils to become lifelong learners. We aim for excellence in all our school activities and encourage all pupils to achieve the best they possibly can. We believe that providing pupils with a well-balanced, enriching and engaging literacy curriculum will aid them in developing into self-assured communicators. Our English curriculum will ensure that all pupils become confident speakers, listeners, readers and writers, preparing them for life in the 21st Century and beyond. 

We aim:

* To ensure that all pupils are receiving a well-balanced, ambitious English curriculum.

* To ensure that each teacher is providing pupils with a consistent approach to English teaching.

* To ensure that all pupils are given the opportunity to extend their knowledge and skills, and

    communicate through spoken and written forms. Through developing their knowledge, skills and

    understanding in English, children learn to appreciate that communication in all forms contributes

    to their wider understanding of the world in which they live.

* To ensure that all pupils are exposed to different purposes for writing and authors through a curriculum that is broad and balanced, relevant and engaging and is differentiated to match the needs and abilities of  all children. 

Reading 

Through our planning and teaching of Reading, we instil a love of reading and an appreciation that through reading, the whole curriculum, and the world, become accessible. Reading is a priority, as it underpins all learning, and is taught in many different ways, which will allow all pupils to become fluent, confident readers. 

To support early reading, we teach Phonics daily in Early Years and Key Stage One. Using the programme 'Song Of Sounds', we plan different lessons and activities to allow the children to become confident in using their sounds to read, with time to identify, practise and apply their learning. 

Writing

Though our planning and teaching of writing, we provide the children with an understanding of writing; purpose and structure. We want the children to enjoy writing and use it as a means of expressing themselves. All our writing is taught through our Imaginative Learning Projects, giving the children a purpose and audience for their writing. 

Handwriting 

Handwriting is taught weekly throughout the school and when the children are ready, they begin learning cursive writing in EYFS. We have introduced a developmental scheme, Continuous Cursive from Twinkl, in EYFS and KS1. to ensure consistency across the school.