At Irlam and Cadishead Academy, our purpose is to deliver a broad English curriculum that encourages all our pupils- irrespective of their ability or talents – to love literature and the beauty of the English language. We want to give them the confidence to express their ideas clearly and with passion, in both written and spoken forms. The English curriculum aims to build on pupils’ understanding of their environment, developing their ‘cultural capital’, and so allow them to engage constructively and productively with the world around them. It should develop lifelong skills that enable our pupils to build a future that brings security and contentment. The English curriculum offers our pupils the opportunity to read a wide range of inspiring, challenging and diverse texts which develop their ‘cultural capital’. It is designed to enable all pupils to read fluently, critically and with deep understanding, linking texts to real-life experience and context whenever possible; to help our pupils make accurate and perceptive comments about character, mood and atmosphere and explore the subtleties of the writer’s craft. Through the curriculum, our pupils will be taught how to make detailed analysis of how language and structure are used to achieve effects and influence the reader. They will learn how to use relevant subject terminology, where appropriate, to effectively support their comments. The texts selected and studied represent a significant demand on learners in terms of content, structure and the quality of language, providing rigour and challenge at all levels. To support this challenging process, knowledge organisers are used to guide our pupils through each topic in each key stage. Texts from across a wide range of genres and types have been selected to develop both skills and knowledge in a well-structured and cohesive manner. The English curriculum empowers pupils to use the knowledge and skills gained from wide reading to inform and improve their own writing. It should enable our pupils to develop plot and characterisation with detail, originality and imagination; to organise their writing clearly and imaginatively; to use structure and grammatical features ambitiously to give their writing cohesion and coherence; and convey precise meaning using Standard English appropriately. The English curriculum will help our pupils to use grammar correctly, punctuate and spell accurately and acquire and apply a wide academic vocabulary, alongside a knowledge and understanding of grammatical terminology. This process is also supported by the use of knowledge organisers. A key intent is to encourage pupils to produce a wide range of high-quality written texts. To ensure this happens, explicit links are made with the culturally-enriching, challenging texts that are studied to inspire their own writing. With regard to speaking and listening, the English curriculum encourages pupils to express sophisticated ideas, information and feelings using an appropriate and ambitious repertoire of vocabulary. It will enable our pupils to organise and structure their speech using an effective range of strategies to engage their audience and to respond perceptively to questions and feedback. Our intent is to enable our pupils to become truly confident and articulate public speakers, who recognise the impact confident communication will have on their life after their education at Irlam and Cadishead Academy.