Our school curriculum provide an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum.

An all-inclusive ‘curriculum paradigm’ is representative of Greysbrooke School’s ethos, as we believe that everything that happens in school reflects our culture, and hence everything that happens in school (including unstructured times such as breaks) or through school (e.g. residential experiences) is part of the curriculum.

In addition to the delivery of subject knowledge and acquisition of skills, our curriculum also promotes wider elements such as visits, assemblies, and performances. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences are maximised with ‘awe and wonder’ opportunities celebrated.

Greysbrooke Curriculum Design

Below is a list of the outline curriculum plan for each year group, as well as some information about the Read, Write, Inc Phonics Programme & Vipers we adopt at Greysbrooke.

For any more information relating to the curriculum, please feel free to speak to your child’s class teacher.

Read, Write Inc Phonic Programme

At Greysbrooke Primary School, we understand the huge importance that reading contributes to unlocking the door to every child’s education. This is why children from Reception to Year 2 take part in daily phonics lessons, following the Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics programme.

It is a comprehensive literacy programme which enables children to read accurately and fluently whilst developing good comprehension.

Children first learn the English alphabetic code by learning to read the 40+ sounds in one way and blending these sounds into words. Then they learn to read the same sounds with alternative graphemes. Children also write every day, rehearsing out loud what they want to say, before spelling the words using the graphemes and ‘tricky’ words they know. Children’s composition (ideas, vocabulary and grammar) is developed by drawing on their own experiences and talking about the stories they read.

The structure of the programme enables children to develop skills in reading, writing, spoken language, vocabulary, grammar and spelling. Books are closely matched to the children’s increasing knowledge of phonics and ‘tricky’ words and, as children re-read the stories, their fluency increases.

The aim of using this programme is to develop high standards in children’s literacy and also spark a lifelong love of reading.


Once children have completed RWI, they move onto developing their reading skills through focused comprehension work using the VIPERS methodology.

What are Vipers?

VIPERS is an anagram to aid the recall of the 6 reading domains as part of the UK’s reading curriculum.  They are the key areas which we feel children need to know and understand in order to improve their comprehension of texts. VIPERS stands for:






Sequence or Summarise

The 6 domains focus on the comprehension aspect of reading and not the mechanics of decoding, fluency, prosody etc.  As such, VIPERS is not a reading scheme but rather a method of ensuring that teachers ask, and students are familiar with, a range of questions.  They allow the teacher to track the type of questions asked and the children’s responses to these which allows for targeted questioning afterwards.

VIPERS can be taught through the following methods: isolated reading comprehension texts; pictures; whole class reading books (from picture books through to extended novels); and through texts linked to our Creative Curriculum. Whilst often taught as a whole class, they can be delivered in small focused groups and on an individual basis. We encourage adults reading individually with students to focus on developing the different reading elements above and to ask them questions based on VOCABULARY, INFERENCE, PREDICTION, EXPLANATION, RETRIEVAL and SUMMARY.
