Colman Infant and Junior School

English

About Our English Curriculum

As a school we use CUSP phonics

It is the intent of the curriculum to:

  • build confident and capable readers to aid in current and future learning in all areas
  • build skills in comprehension including retrieval, sequencing, inference and authorial intent
  • create articulate writers in an array of text types which will stem from articulate speakers

English, as a core subject, will be taught daily. We recognise the need for English to maintain a core time every morning as learning to read will be the basis for all future learning.


Phonics

Phonics will build a large part of the focus in the EYFS and KS1. We believe that excellent phonics teaching is the foundation to reading and future learning for all children. Daily phonics lessons will be taught using a consistent approach, ReadWriteInc., throughout the school. Phonics lessons will provide an opportunity to:

  • Revisit past learning
  • Teach new phoneme/grapheme
  • Practise
  • Apply

Ongoing monitoring of phonics will be completed through Phonics Tracker. Spelling rules will be expected to be integrated into phonics and then extend beyond phonics. Children will be provided timely intervention to allow them the opportunity to keep up rather than catch up at a later time.


Spelling

Spelling lessons follow the CUSP curriculum and are taught daily. They include:

  • Revisit (daily)
  • Spelling rule (Introduction and revisit daily)
  • Definitions (including word origins, root words, meaning of suffixes or prefixes)
  • Syllabification
  • Short Dictations

Spelling will be assessed through PiXL and CUSP termly assessments.


Reading

Reading is at the heart of everything we do as a school!

Our reading curriculum is built upon the CUSP curriculum which provides a literature spine for reading with additional texts and extracts to aid in a range of reading opportunities.

CUSP Literature Spine 

Year 1 

Year 2 

Year 3 

Year 4 

Year 5 

Year 6  

Open Morning | Friday 10th January 2025

Come and see our newly renovated Early Years Provision with amazing new outdoor space at our Open Morning on Friday 10th January at 10am.

We offer:

  • Amazing outdoor space within the city
  • Newly developed Early Years outside learning space and classrooms
  • Extended school day (Wednesday) allowing all children to take part in a club of their choosing free of charge
  • CUSP Curriculum – used in over 700 schools nationally and with exceptional above national average outcomes evidenced in Unity Schools Partnership schools
  • All through curriculum (ages 4-11) linked with Colman Junior School for consistency
  • Use of Apple technology to support for teaching and learning

Or please feel free to book an appointment by emailing office-colmanschools@colmanschools.org.uk or calling us on 01603 508530.