English Curriculum

At Clifford Community we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading and writing. We have an ambitious, fulfilling and rewarding English curriculum that provides many purposeful opportunities for reading and writing.

Our English curriculum is taught using CUSP (Curriculum by  Unity Schools Partnership) resources and further information about the curriculum can be accessed at https://www.unity-curriculum.co.uk/cusp/. In Reception and Year 1, we use Drawing Club and Curious Quests to enthuse the imagination of our children and encourage the joy of writing.  

Reading

Our CUSP Reading curriculum is deliberately designed to be ambitious and aspirational, ensuring that every child leaves our school as a competent, confident reader. Drawing on the latest research around explicit vocabulary instruction, reading fluency and key comprehension strategies, this curriculum is a synthesis of what we know works in helping children make outstanding progress in reading and a distillation into consistent, well-structured practice.

Pupils will receive a daily diet of excellent reading teaching and this will be supplemented by regular opportunities to engage with shared reading experiences, promoting the joy of reading with the whole school community. The clear structure and principles ensure that teaching is progressive, challenging and engaging and the rich, diverse literature spine acts as both a mirror so that every child can see themselves in the core texts and as a mirror to engage pupils with experiences beyond their own field of reference.

Writing

Our CUSP Writing curriculum draws on taught from the depth study of core texts from the literature spine. Expert subject knowledge is carefully woven into each Writing module which gives teachers the opportunity to teach and rehearse key knowledge and skills before applying this learning to meaningful extended outcomes. The careful architecture of this curriculum ensures that pupils build on prior learning and maximise purposeful curriculum connections to become writers for life.  Within the CLUSP curriculum, punctuation and grammar is taught both directly and discreetly with pupils receiving a daily SPaG lesson. Vocabulary is taught alongside with direct and explicit teaching of Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary.

Handwriting is taught following a school write framework. Pupils learn the foundations of handwriting in Reception and Year 1, moving to joined handwriting in Year 2. In Key Stage 2, pupils continue to develop their speed, fluency and presentation of handwriting.

Early Reading and Writing 

In EYFS, we are passionate about developing a lifelong love of reading and writing. Children enjoy daily story times, singing nursery rhymes, learning poetry, and sharing high-quality texts that inspire curiosity and imagination. Opportunities to read and write are carefully woven throughout our continuous provision, both indoors and outdoors, allowing children to explore literacy in meaningful and purposeful ways through play. In Reception, we use Drawing Club by Greg Bottrill to ignite creativity, enrich vocabulary, strengthen comprehension, and foster a genuine joy for writing. Alongside this, children develop the essential foundations for becoming confident communicators and writers, including oracy, fine motor development, phonics, and handwriting. Through a language-rich environment and engaging learning experiences, we nurture confident readers, imaginative storytellers, and enthusiastic writers.

Phonics

At Clifford Road, phonics is taught daily using Twinkl Phonics, a systematic synthetic phonics programme. Children learn to recognise sounds, blend to read and segment to spell through carefully sequenced lessons from Reception to Year 2. Regular assessment ensures teaching meets individual needs, while opportunities to revisit and apply learning help children become confident, fluent readers and writers. Additional support is provided for children who need it, and common exception words are taught alongside phonics to develop reading fluency.