At Cottage Grove Primary School, we believe that English is the foundation of learning and the key to unlocking success across the curriculum. Our English curriculum is designed to develop confident readers, writers, speakers and listeners who can communicate effectively, think critically and express themselves with creativity and purpose. Through high-quality texts, rich vocabulary experiences and meaningful writing opportunities, we foster a lifelong love of language and literature. Our curriculum is carefully sequenced from Nursery to Year 6, enabling children to develop and build upon their skills year after year. 

Our Aim

We aim for every child to leave Cottage Grove as a confident and capable communicator who can read widely, write effectively and express themselves clearly. By developing strong literacy skills alongside creativity, resilience and critical thinking, we prepare our pupils for success in secondary school and beyond, ensuring that all children have the tools they need to achieve our vision of Success for All. 

Early Years Foundation Stage

In the Early Years, children begin their writing journey by developing the physical skills, phonics knowledge and confidence needed to become successful writers. Through carefully planned opportunities for mark-making, letter formation, word building and sentence construction, children progress from identifying and writing initial sounds to composing simple sentences independently. Writing is embedded throughout continuous provision and linked to children's interests and experiences, ensuring that learning is purposeful and engaging. 

Key Stage One

In Years 1 and 2, pupils learn to write for a range of purposes and audiences. They explore character descriptions, narratives, fact files, reports, recounts, persuasive writing and traditional tales while developing the core skills of transcription, grammar, punctuation and composition. Learning is closely linked to high-quality texts and wider curriculum themes, helping children understand how writing can be used to inform, entertain and persuade. As pupils progress through Key Stage One, they develop increasing independence, accuracy and stamina as writers. 

Lower Key Stage Two

In Years 3 and 4, children build upon their earlier learning by exploring a wider range of text types in greater depth. They write newspaper reports, biographies, persuasive letters, diaries, non-chronological reports and increasingly sophisticated narratives. Writing opportunities are strongly linked to topics such as Ancient Egypt, the Stone Age, Romans, Vikings and natural disasters, allowing children to apply their literacy skills across the curriculum. A growing emphasis is placed on authorial choices, sentence structure, vocabulary selection and crafting writing for different audiences and purposes. 

Upper Key Stage Two

In Years 5 and 6, pupils refine their writing skills further through a rich range of genres including explanation texts, speeches, formal letters, suspense narratives, biographies, scientific writing and extended narrative compositions. Children learn to manipulate language for effect, develop their own writing style and produce sustained pieces demonstrating increasing sophistication and accuracy. Writing is often inspired by high-quality literature and wider curriculum learning, encouraging pupils to write with confidence, purpose and authenticity. 

Writing Across the Curriculum

A distinctive feature of our curriculum is the way writing is embedded within wider learning journeys. Children write about real experiences, historical events, scientific investigations, geographical studies and cultural experiences, enabling them to apply their knowledge in meaningful contexts. This approach helps children develop subject knowledge alongside strong literacy skills and ensures that writing is both purposeful and engaging.