At Sunbeck, we want every young person to develop the reading, writing and communication skills they need to access learning, express themselves and succeed in the next stage of their education. 

Our KS3 English curriculum provides opportunities for students to read a range of texts, explore different viewpoints and develop their ability to communicate for a variety of purposes. Students learn to retrieve information, make inferences, consider a writer's intentions and understand how language and structure influence meaning. Alongside this, they develop their own writing, learning how to organise ideas, select vocabulary and use punctuation and sentence structures effectively. 

Students work across a range of writing outcomes, including personal profiles and manifestos, survival guides, monologues, descriptive and perspective narratives, dialogue scripts, reflective letters, persuasive articles, short fiction, formal complaint letters, poetry and informative advice texts. These experiences give students opportunities to write creatively, explain their ideas, influence an audience and communicate information clearly. 

Reading and writing are developed together throughout the curriculum. Students apply the skills they learn when analysing texts to their own writing, while developing their written expression helps them to understand more clearly how writers communicate meaning. 

A curriculum designed around our students 

Sunbeck is different from a mainstream school. Students join us at different points in the year, with different experiences of education, different levels of confidence and different starting points in their learning. Some students may be with us for a short period before returning to mainstream education, while others may remain with us for much longer. 

 

For that reason, our English curriculum follows a 13-week rolling curriculum spine. 

 

This means that students can join Sunbeck at different points in the year without missing out on important areas of the English curriculum. Across each cycle, they encounter a planned sequence of reading skills, writing opportunities and punctuation and sentence construction. Rather than relying on a traditional academic-year sequence, the curriculum gives students access to a broad range of English learning whenever they arrive. 

The curriculum is built around three interconnected strands: 

• Reading skills: developing comprehension, retrieval, inference, interpretation and analysis. 

• Writing outcomes: applying reading and language skills to produce writing for different purposes and audiences. 

• Punctuation and sentence construction: developing accuracy, control and variety in written expression. 

Each week brings these strands together through a clear learning focus. For example, students might develop their ability to retrieve information before applying their understanding through a survival guide. They might explore inference and descriptive language before writing a narrative, or examine viewpoint and bias before producing a persuasive article. 

This structure provides breadth and entitlement, while our approach to mastery provides depth and progression. 

Progress, not repetition 

A rolling curriculum does not mean that students simply repeat the same activities each time. 

When students revisit familiar skills, the level of challenge increases. Teachers use prior learning, ongoing assessment and the Sunbeck English progress tracker to identify what each student can already do and what they need to develop next. 

For example, a student may initially learn to retrieve information from a short text, using prompts and support to identify key facts. As their understanding develops, they may begin to select relevant evidence independently, make inferences from what they have read and explain their thinking. With further practice, they may compare viewpoints, analyse a writer's choices and use evidence to support a more developed interpretation. 

The same approach applies to writing. A student may begin by constructing simple sentences with accurate capital letters and full stops. They can then develop their use of vocabulary, sentence starters, connectives and punctuation before moving towards more varied sentence structures and greater control over tone, style and organisation. 

Our approach recognises that students may arrive with significant gaps in their learning. Teachers identify these gaps and provide appropriate support without limiting the ambition of the curriculum. Students are challenged to build on what they know, practise unfamiliar skills and apply their learning with increasing confidence. 

The curriculum cycles, but the student does not reset. 

Our progress tracker recognises that students develop at different rates. Teachers identify whether students are exploring new skills, developing their understanding, working towards greater independence or mastering skills with confidence. This means that progress is measured through what students know, understand and can do, rather than simply by whether they have completed a particular week or task. 

For students who remain at Sunbeck beyond one 13-week cycle, learning continues to develop. Familiar skills are revisited in new contexts, texts and writing tasks, with greater expectations for accuracy, independence and depth. Students are supported to move beyond practising a skill in isolation and towards applying it successfully in unfamiliar situations. 

Developing reading and writing skills 

English at Sunbeck is not simply about completing reading questions or producing a finished piece of writing. Students develop the knowledge and practical skills needed to become more confident, capable and independent readers and writers. 

Throughout the curriculum, students develop their ability to: 

• skim and scan texts to locate information and identify key details 

• retrieve evidence accurately and use it to support their answers 

• use context clues to understand unfamiliar vocabulary 

• make inferences and explain what a text suggests beyond its literal meaning 

• identify fact, opinion, viewpoint and bias 

• summarise information and compare ideas across different texts 

• explore how writers use language, structure and subtext to create meaning 

• write for different purposes and audiences, including to describe, narrate, persuade, reflect and inform 

• organise ideas clearly and select vocabulary appropriate to the task 

• construct varied sentences using an increasingly wide range of punctuation and sentence starters 

• review, edit and improve their work in response to feedback 

• explain their thinking and communicate their ideas with increasing confidence. 

Punctuation and sentence construction are taught as part of the wider English curriculum, rather than as isolated exercises alone. Students develop their understanding of capital letters, full stops, commas, apostrophes, direct speech, colons, semi-colons, dashes and hyphens, alongside a range of sentence structures. They are encouraged to apply these skills in their own writing so that accuracy becomes part of their everyday practice. 

Reading and writing activities are carefully selected to be accessible and purposeful for our setting, while maintaining high expectations. Students are supported to engage with texts and tasks that challenge them appropriately, regardless of their previous experiences of education. 

Building confidence and independence 

Our ultimate aim is not simply for students to answer questions correctly or complete a piece of writing. We want them to develop the confidence to understand information, express their ideas and communicate effectively in a range of situations. 

For some students, gaps in literacy can become a barrier to accessing learning across the curriculum. Others may have lost confidence in their ability to read, write or succeed in a classroom. At Sunbeck, we work to rebuild that confidence through clear teaching, achievable steps, regular practice and opportunities to recognise progress. 

Students are supported to develop their skills before being encouraged to apply them more independently. They learn to select evidence, explain their reasoning, plan their writing, make deliberate language choices and review their work. Feedback helps them understand what they have done well and, importantly, what they need to do next. 

As their confidence develops, students are expected to take increasing responsibility for the quality of their work.

They learn that successful reading and writing involve thinking, practising, making mistakes and improving, rather than getting everything right first time. 

These skills are transferable beyond the English classroom. Reading accurately, understanding information, expressing opinions, writing clearly and communicating with others are essential across the wider curriculum, in everyday life and in future education and employment. 

For students preparing to return to mainstream education, these experiences help develop the literacy skills, confidence and learning habits needed to access a broader curriculum successfully. 

Preparing students for the future 

English provides the foundations for success across the curriculum and beyond school. Students need to be able to understand written information, follow instructions, explain their thinking, communicate with others and express themselves appropriately in different settings. 

Throughout the curriculum, students encounter a variety of reading materials and writing purposes that help them develop these essential skills. They learn to adapt their communication for different audiences, distinguish between fact and opinion, recognise how language can influence others and present their own ideas clearly. 

For students preparing for GCSE English Language, the curriculum develops important foundations in reading comprehension, inference, analysis, comparison and written communication. Students build their ability to understand unfamiliar texts, select relevant evidence, explain the effects of language choices and produce writing that is organised, accurate and appropriate to its purpose. 

For students who remain at Sunbeck for longer periods, the rolling curriculum provides opportunities to strengthen these foundations, revisit areas of difficulty and work towards greater independence and readiness for formal qualifications. 

Our aim is for every student to leave Sunbeck with stronger literacy skills, greater confidence in their ability to communicate and a clearer understanding of how reading and writing can help them access opportunities in education, employment and adult life. 

Key Stage 4
Students in Year 10 and Year 11 are given the opportunity to study GCSE English Language. Some students will work towards the Functional Skills English qualification either alongside or instead of the GCSE offer. The curriculum builds upon the skills and knowledge acquired at Key Stage 3 and continues to develop students’ independence and thinking skills