English
At Upminster Junior School, we strive to nurture pupils’ English skills so they become confident communicators with a lasting love of reading, writing and spoken language. Our engaging and carefully planned curriculum offers meaningful opportunities for children to develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills across a wide range of audiences and purposes.
Writing
Our writing curriculum is broad and balanced, encompassing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction writing outcomes, and is built around high-quality, recommended texts that underpin our English curriculum. Children are given meaningful opportunities to immerse themselves in each text, developing a deep understanding of content, language and purpose before exploring the key features of carefully chosen model texts. Grammar is taught in a focused and purposeful way and is explicitly applied to children’s own writing outcomes. Pupils are supported to plan their writing carefully, draft with confidence, and edit and refine their work before publishing their final pieces to a high standard.
Handwriting, spelling and dictation
Handwriting, spelling and dictation are taught explicitly and regularly to support children in becoming confident, fluent writers. Children take part in a weekly spelling lesson where they are taught age-appropriate spelling rules and patterns, which are then reinforced throughout the week. Handwriting is practised frequently, with a strong focus on developing consistent letter formation and joining so that children write neatly and fluently. Regular dictation sessions use carefully planned sentences to address misconceptions, reinforce the spelling rules taught that week and help pupils apply their learning accurately within meaningful contexts.
