English

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils, therefore, who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.– National Curriculum, 2013

Reading

At TGPAL, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach early reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme.

Phonics teaching begins in the Early Years following the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school. Once children get to Reception, they bring home books that match their phonics learning and understanding.

Daily phonics sessions follow the Revisit and Review, Teach and Practise and Practise and Apply format across each phase. Reading practice sessions take place three times a week develop children’s decoding, prosody and comprehension skills.

Reading is taught through whole class, group and individual reading sessions. All children are given opportunities to visit the school library, use their class libraries and are read to daily using REAL (Relate Empathise And Listen) reading sessions. We strive to encourage lifelong reading for pleasure from our children and believe that this gives them the best life opportunities. Language and text comprehension skills are strengthened through our use of high-quality texts and questioning.

Writing

TGPAL Writing Vision & Approach

At TGPAL, we are passionate about ensuring every child can write and sees themselves as a writer. We strive to provide high-quality English education that enables pupils to speak and write fluently, so they can communicate their ideas and emotions effectively. Through reading and listening, they also learn to understand and connect with others.

Our aim is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word. We want every child to acquire a wide vocabulary, a solid understanding of grammar, and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing, and spoken language in a creative, diverse, and purposeful way.

We support all pupils to write clearly, accurately, and coherently, adapting their language and style for a range of contexts, purposes, and audiences. Students are guided to progressively improve their transcription and composition skills, and to plan, revise, and evaluate their writing with increasing independence.

Our Writing Framework

To help children write effectively and with clarity, we use a structured approach that simplifies the complex cognitive processes involved in writing. This framework is implemented from Reception to Year 6, allowing children to build the knowledge and skills required to write effective sentences. Grammar and vocabulary are explicitly modelled to support confident, independent writing across a broad range of fiction and non-fiction texts, inspired by diverse themes.

Key Components of Writing Instruction

Our writing model is built around three essential areas:

• Ideas – Encouraging children to generate and develop rich, meaningful content.

• Grammar Tools – Teaching the grammatical structures and sentence-level skills needed to write accurately and effectively.

• Stylistic Techniques – Helping pupils craft engaging and expressive writing through purposeful use of language.

These components are introduced through consistent modelling and supported practice, enabling children to internalize and apply them independently.

Supporting Editing and Sentence Construction

To support children in refining their writing, we provide clear, visual reminders of the key elements that make up strong sentences. These include:

• Essential vocabulary that pupils are expected to spell accurately.

• Progressive punctuation skills that build over time.

• A variety of sentence structures to ensure pupils can write with flexibility and flair.

These tools help pupils reflect on their writing, make purposeful edits, and develop a repertoire of sentence types to suit different contexts and audiences.

Grammar, Spelling & Handwriting

• Grammar and punctuation are embedded throughout the English curriculum.

• Once children are secure in Systematic Synthetic Phonics (the link between graphemes and phonemes), spelling is taught through rules and patterns.

• Fluent, joined handwriting is prioritized once letter formation is established, using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds as the foundation.