Literacy and English
At Earlston Primary School, we aim for every child to develop a lifelong love of reading, writing, listening and talking. Literacy is a core focus of our curriculum and underpins learning across every area of school life.
Through high-quality teaching and a nurturing environment, we support every child to become a confident communicator, thoughtful reader and enthusiastic writer.
Through high-quality teaching and a nurturing environment, we support every child to become a confident communicator, thoughtful reader and enthusiastic writer.
Early Literacy Development
We recognise that early literacy lays the foundation for all future learning. Our staff work closely across Nursery and Primary 1 to ensure a consistent approach that helps every child develop confidence in early reading, writing, listening and talking.
Children build their literacy skills through play-based learning — exploring language through stories, songs, rhymes, role play and mark-making. These experiences make learning meaningful and enjoyable, while developing vocabulary, comprehension and communication skills.
Our core early literacy programme is Read Write Inc. (RWI), which provides a clear, structured approach to teaching sounds and letters. Through active, multi-sensory lessons, children learn to blend sounds to read and segment words to spell. Carefully matched reading books help them experience early success and enjoyment as readers.
By combining structured phonics with rich, play-based experiences, we help our youngest learners develop a love of language and the confidence to become capable readers and writers.
Children build their literacy skills through play-based learning — exploring language through stories, songs, rhymes, role play and mark-making. These experiences make learning meaningful and enjoyable, while developing vocabulary, comprehension and communication skills.
Our core early literacy programme is Read Write Inc. (RWI), which provides a clear, structured approach to teaching sounds and letters. Through active, multi-sensory lessons, children learn to blend sounds to read and segment words to spell. Carefully matched reading books help them experience early success and enjoyment as readers.
By combining structured phonics with rich, play-based experiences, we help our youngest learners develop a love of language and the confidence to become capable readers and writers.
Reading
At Earlston Primary, we believe that reading is about much more than decoding words — it’s about developing understanding, fluency and a genuine love of books. Our aim is to create a positive reading culture where every child can see themselves as a reader.
We follow the #SBCWay five pillars for reading instruction, which guide how we teach reading across the school:
As children develop their decoding skills, we shift the focus to developing these core reading strategies. Through guided reading, class novels and discussion, children learn to think critically about texts, make connections, and explain their ideas clearly.
To support progress, we use a range of resources including Bug Club, Read Write Inc, comprehension texts and novel studies. Pupils who require additional support may also access Rapid Reading or Fresh Start programmes to boost confidence and fluency.
Reading at home is strongly encouraged — we value the partnership between home and school in helping children become lifelong readers.
We follow the #SBCWay five pillars for reading instruction, which guide how we teach reading across the school:
- Phonemic Awareness – Children learn to hear and identify individual sounds in words through fun, active and multi-sensory activities such as rhyming, blending and segmenting.
- Phonics – Using Read Write Inc. as our core resource, children learn how letters and sounds work together to build and read words. This structured, synthetic phonics approach ensures strong foundations for accurate reading.
- Fluency – As children grow in confidence, they practise reading aloud with expression and understanding. Daily reading, both in school and at home, helps them develop smooth and expressive reading skills.
- Vocabulary – We place a strong focus on developing children’s vocabulary through reading, discussion and word study. Understanding and using rich vocabulary supports deeper comprehension and confident communication.
- Comprehension – Once children can decode text, we explicitly teach strategies such as predicting, questioning, summarising and visualising to help them make sense of what they read. These core skills allow pupils to engage with text at a deeper level.
As children develop their decoding skills, we shift the focus to developing these core reading strategies. Through guided reading, class novels and discussion, children learn to think critically about texts, make connections, and explain their ideas clearly.
To support progress, we use a range of resources including Bug Club, Read Write Inc, comprehension texts and novel studies. Pupils who require additional support may also access Rapid Reading or Fresh Start programmes to boost confidence and fluency.
Reading at home is strongly encouraged — we value the partnership between home and school in helping children become lifelong readers.
Writing
At Earlston Primary School, we want every child to see themselves as a writer — someone who can use words to communicate ideas, share experiences and express creativity with confidence and purpose.
We follow the SBCWay approach to writing, which supports teachers in planning, teaching and assessing writing consistently across the Scottish Borders. This approach ensures that writing is purposeful, progressive and engaging, helping children to build the skills they need to become confident and independent writers. It focuses on three main aspects of writing:
Tools for Writing
At the start of every school year, all classes begin with a focus on enhancing their tools for writing. Using improvement methodology, teachers and pupils work together to:
This focused start ensures that every learner has the secure foundation of spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting needed for success across all writing tasks.
Handwriting and Presentation
We promote neat, legible handwriting and take pride in presentation. To support this, we use a combination of digital and practical approaches.
Children use Kaligo, an intuitive handwriting app that provides real-time feedback on letter formation. Using stylus technology, Kaligo helps children refine their fine motor control, spacing, and letter shapes in an interactive, engaging way. Teachers can view instant progress data and tailor support for individual learners.
Alongside digital practice, children apply these skills in written tasks across the curriculum. We promote the use of cursive handwriting throughout the school, supporting fluency and encouraging pupils to take pride in their written work.
Writing in Different Genres
Once children have strengthened their tools for writing, they are taught how to write for a wide range of purposes and audiences. They learn to create imaginative stories, personal and reflective pieces, reports, explanations, persuasive texts and poetry.
Through the SBCWay writing framework, children explore different genres by analysing examples, identifying key features, planning their own pieces, drafting, editing and sharing their writing with others. This approach not only improves accuracy but also develops children’s creativity, independence and enjoyment of writing.
We follow the SBCWay approach to writing, which supports teachers in planning, teaching and assessing writing consistently across the Scottish Borders. This approach ensures that writing is purposeful, progressive and engaging, helping children to build the skills they need to become confident and independent writers. It focuses on three main aspects of writing:
- Tools for Writing – the technical skills such as spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting that underpin all writing.
- Writing for Learning – using writing across the curriculum to explain, describe, question and reflect.
- Writing for Enjoyment – developing children’s creativity and voice through a variety of engaging genres and contexts.
Tools for Writing
At the start of every school year, all classes begin with a focus on enhancing their tools for writing. Using improvement methodology, teachers and pupils work together to:
- Identify strengths and next steps in writing.
- Set clear, class-wide targets for improvement.
- Provide focused teaching of specific skills that need development.
- Monitor progress carefully throughout the term.
This focused start ensures that every learner has the secure foundation of spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting needed for success across all writing tasks.
Handwriting and Presentation
We promote neat, legible handwriting and take pride in presentation. To support this, we use a combination of digital and practical approaches.
Children use Kaligo, an intuitive handwriting app that provides real-time feedback on letter formation. Using stylus technology, Kaligo helps children refine their fine motor control, spacing, and letter shapes in an interactive, engaging way. Teachers can view instant progress data and tailor support for individual learners.
Alongside digital practice, children apply these skills in written tasks across the curriculum. We promote the use of cursive handwriting throughout the school, supporting fluency and encouraging pupils to take pride in their written work.
Writing in Different Genres
Once children have strengthened their tools for writing, they are taught how to write for a wide range of purposes and audiences. They learn to create imaginative stories, personal and reflective pieces, reports, explanations, persuasive texts and poetry.
Through the SBCWay writing framework, children explore different genres by analysing examples, identifying key features, planning their own pieces, drafting, editing and sharing their writing with others. This approach not only improves accuracy but also develops children’s creativity, independence and enjoyment of writing.
Listening and Talking
We believe that strong listening and talking skills are at the heart of effective learning, communication and collaboration. These skills support every aspect of the curriculum and are essential for developing confidence, empathy and understanding in our pupils.
We follow the SBCWay approach to Listening and Talking, which ensures a consistent and progressive development of these skills from the early years through to the upper primary stages. This approach focuses on providing rich opportunities for pupils to listen with understanding, express themselves clearly and participate respectfully in a variety of contexts.
Through this structured approach, children learn to:
Our classrooms provide a wide range of opportunities for children to practise these skills — from class discussions and storytelling to performances, assemblies, debates and group presentations.
We nurture an environment where every child’s voice is valued. Pupils are encouraged to express themselves with confidence, to listen carefully to others, and to communicate in ways that are thoughtful, respectful and engaging.
These skills not only help children succeed in school but also prepare them for life beyond the classroom — enabling them to work well with others, solve problems collaboratively and communicate effectively in any setting.
We follow the SBCWay approach to Listening and Talking, which ensures a consistent and progressive development of these skills from the early years through to the upper primary stages. This approach focuses on providing rich opportunities for pupils to listen with understanding, express themselves clearly and participate respectfully in a variety of contexts.
Through this structured approach, children learn to:
- Listen actively to others, following instructions, ideas and viewpoints with attention and respect.
- Ask and answer questions to clarify, deepen understanding and explore different perspectives.
- Present information clearly and confidently, whether speaking to a partner, a small group, or a larger audience.
- Engage in discussion and debate, learning how to share opinions, justify viewpoints and consider alternative ideas.
- Use tone, expression and body language effectively to communicate meaning and emotion.
Our classrooms provide a wide range of opportunities for children to practise these skills — from class discussions and storytelling to performances, assemblies, debates and group presentations.
We nurture an environment where every child’s voice is valued. Pupils are encouraged to express themselves with confidence, to listen carefully to others, and to communicate in ways that are thoughtful, respectful and engaging.
These skills not only help children succeed in school but also prepare them for life beyond the classroom — enabling them to work well with others, solve problems collaboratively and communicate effectively in any setting.