English
In Pre-Prep and Year 3, English is taught by the class teacher, which allows for more extra-curricular links and for the skills of reading and writing to be taught through wider topics.
However, specific English lessons still take place with children receiving a thorough grounding in grammar, spelling and handwriting.
A variety of texts are used to inspire the children's work, along with many opportunities for practical activities. In addition to following a scheme to teach early reading skills, the children visit the Library regularly to browse, choose and read fiction and non-fiction books.
English in Year 4, 5 and 6 is taught in class groups in a variety of fun and stimulating ways, as well as preparing students fully for Common Entrance exams and future senior schools. Learning objectives are based on the National Curriculum, but used with a great deal of flexibility, to allow for the deeper study of set texts and challenging projects.
Each term, from Year 3-5, much of the creative writing is based around a quality text that the class all read together. We study a wide range of authors from Michael Morpurgo to Shakespeare. Reading continues to be closely monitored throughout the school and students are encouraged to read from a variety of genres and authors and to challenge themselves with the texts they choose.
Specific Library lessons develop Library skills, as well as giving the children an opportunity to browse, to update their Reading Records, to write book reviews and recommend texts to their peers.