This grid is intended as a guideline for progression in English, with ideas on what to teach
in what order but it should be adapted to each child’s age, needs, and circumstances.
Priority should be given to vocabulary and structures that enable the child to communicate
and access
the curriculum.
Child’s
name
School:
DOB:
Y
Welcome pack, picture timetable
Help cards
Picture/ bilingual dictionary
Speaking and Listening
Basic instructions: sit down, look, listen,
etc
Hello, how are you? I am fine thank
you, and you?
Verbs: run, walk, speak, eat, drink,
sleep, draw, count, paint, smile, cry,
open, close, push, pull, etc miming
Colours with nouns bingo
I can/ can’t
can you?
I like/ don’t like + food venn diagrams
I have, you have
like / don’t like + verbs (ing)
School equipment kim’s game
He/ she / they
Who, when, where, what
Parts of the body dice game, song
Family relationships draw
Opposites: the car is big
Animals
clothes
Home furniture, rooms
Prepositions: in , on, under, behind, up,
down, (on the train, not in..)
Days of the week, tomorrow, yesterday,
before, after
Numbers, and regular plurals
Shapes- 2 d then 3 d
feelings
Questions: guess who
I would like Happy families
Months, seasons, dates
I went, I saw, I bought
I go home, I go swimming, I go to
Languages:
Culturally relevant / bilingual
displays
Buddy group
Games/ reading rota
Reading and writing
Sounds jolly phonics If necessary
vowel dictations,
Letter formation, joined up writing
asap
Answering closed questions by
pointing, then one word answers
If literate build bilingual vocabulary
book
Start on reception words, reading
and spelling
Copying, labelling
Individualised spellings
Matching words and pictures
sequencing
Simple sentences
If literate in L1 write story in L1 then
make picture story of it
Picture story of English story
Simple retelling of stories, writing
simple sentences
magic e..
Spelling rules: y-ie/ double
consonants
Simple diary writing
Simple instructions
Description of people
I went to the park and I saw..
school, I go to the swimming pool…
next, first, finally, then , later.
Ed past tenses- sounds like t/d/id
Irregular past tenses
Was/were
Add, plus, minus, take away, etc
Geographical terms
Scientific vocabulary
Topic vocabulary
Difference I run/ I am running
And, then, but, so
Aches and pains
Prepositions: next to, beside, over,
across, in front of, between
Me/My, your, his, her, their, our
Mine, yours, hers, his.
Because, so, if, before, after in clauses
Possessive ‘s
Abbreviations: I’m, you’re..
Man/men, children, feet, teeth..
Comparatives, superlatives: bigger, the
biggest
Basic adverbs: quietly, fast, slowly..
A dog, the dog, dogs, the dogs
Irregular comparatives: better, worse,
further
Time if they know it in L1
Am going to/ will/ won’t
3rd person S in present tense
I was working when the phone rang
Some, many/much
Ordinals: first, second..
Synonyms of common words, building
up vocabulary
who, when, where, that, to introduce
clauses
Could, should, would
Even though, although, however,
unless, instead, therefore, as
Ago, then from/since with have been
Whether: indirect speech
Phrasal verbs: get up, get up to, get
away, get away with etc
Genres
Stories
To, two, too
They’re, their, there, you’re, your
Complex sentences
Writing adverts
Instructions: barrier games
Persuasive writing