English
At St Anne’s Primary School, we teach English by following the Literary Curriculum (Literacy Tree). The Literary Curriculum is a complete, thematic approach to the teaching of primary English that places children’s literature at its core.
Literacy Tree is an award-winning platform which has designed a curriculum which
immerses children in a literary world, therefore creating strong levels of engagement
to provide meaningful and authentic contexts for primary English. Children become critical readers and acquire an authorial style as they encounter a wide-range of significant authors and a variety of diverse fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
As a whole-school approach, children explore a wide range of literary texts and significant authors as they move through the school. It provides complete coverage of all National Curriculum expectations for writing composition, reading comprehension, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. All plans lead to purposeful application within a wide variety of written outcomes.
At our school, the Literacy Tree texts are mapped out across each Key Stage to ensure progression and National Curriculum coverage across all year groups.
Intent
At St Anne’s, we believe that writing is a fundamental life skill, essential both within and beyond education. That is why writing is woven through all subjects across our curriculum. Our aim is to equip children with key, transferable writing skills that they can build on year after year, supporting them throughout each phase of their education and preparing them for a successful transition to secondary school.
We believe all pupils should be able to communicate their knowledge, ideas, and emotions with confidence through their writing. We aim for pupils to develop a rich vocabulary, a secure understanding of grammar, and the ability to spell new words by applying the spelling patterns and rules they have learned. We want children to write clearly, accurately, coherently, and creatively, adapting their language and style to suit a range of meaningful contexts, purposes, and audiences.
At St Anne’s, books lie at the heart of our curriculum and act as a catalyst for writing. By placing high-quality texts at the core, we ensure children are exposed to excellent writing models across a broad range of genres. We use The Literacy Tree as the framework for delivering this book-based, thematic approach to writing. Through the Literacy Tree, reading and writing objectives including those for grammar are taught purposefully, ensuring writing opportunities are authentic, engaging, and inspiring for our pupils.
Our ambition is for all learners to reach their full potential in writing. We are committed to providing both the challenge and scaffolding necessary for every child to succeed and flourish as a writer.
Implementation
At St Anne’s, we deliver our writing curriculum through The Literacy Tree, a complete, book-based approach to teaching writing and grammar. This ensures that children are immersed in high-quality texts, which provide authentic, meaningful contexts for writing. The Literacy Tree enables teachers to deliver sequenced, progressive units of work that cover a wide range of genres, audiences, and purposes, building on prior knowledge and skills year on year.
Each unit follows a carefully planned journey, from initial immersion in rich vocabulary and storytelling to purposeful writing outcomes. Teachers model high-quality writing, engage in shared and guided writing, and provide opportunities for independent writing, so that pupils develop confidence and ownership of their work.
Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are taught explicitly within these units, with opportunities for children to apply their learning in context. Vocabulary development is prioritised, with children regularly exposed to ambitious language and encouraged to use it in their own writing.
High-quality feedback, responsive teaching, and targeted interventions ensure that all children, including those with SEND or disadvantaged backgrounds, are supported to meet their potential. Carefully designed scaffolds and high expectations challenge all learners to achieve.
Impact
By implementing this high-quality, text-based approach through The Literacy Tree, children at St Anne’s develop into confident, fluent, and creative writers. They are able to adapt their language and style for a range of purposes and audiences, applying their secure knowledge of grammar, spelling, and punctuation with increasing independence.
Pupils leave St Anne’s with a love of language and literature, and with the skills needed to write clearly, coherently, and imaginatively, fully prepared for the next stage of their education. The consistent exposure to diverse, inclusive texts also supports their social and emotional learning, fostering empathy, cultural understanding, and respect for others.
We measure the impact of our writing curriculum through a range of strategies, including pupil voice, book monitoring, learning walks, and ongoing assessment. As a result, we can be confident that every child is given the best possible opportunity to flourish as a writer.
