11
ENGLISH
:
English is the most valuable tool for life that a child will ever need. It is a vital way of
communicating in school, in public life and internationally.
In studying English pupils develop skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing.
At Brunswick House we follow the National Curriculum and the National Literacy Strategy
using a wide range of attractive resources and teaching methods.
Speaking and Listening:
We aim to help each child to develop the ability to speak
fluently and listen attentively in a variety of situations. We recognise that talking is an
essential part of learning and that listening is an important skill to be mastered. Drama is
an important part of this work.
Reading:
Our aim is not only for each child to learn to read fluently, accurately and with
understanding, but also to enjoy reading and discover the pleasure to be gained from
books and how they can be used to find information. From the earliest stages children are
encouraged to think of themselves as readers and they choose freely from the books in
the class library. The teacher, of course, will be guiding to ensure that an appropriate
choice is made. This is in addition to the structured reading scheme book which your child
will have. Big books and other shared reading experiences are an essential part of early
infant activities and structured work is also done to develop phonic skills. A love of reading
is nurtured throughout the school and the children will be encouraged to talk about the
books they have read in reading conferences with their teacher and other adults. You can
help with reading by sharing books with your child. Read to each other, discuss the books
and don’t stop when your child can read.
Writing:
The ultimate aim is for each child to achieve fluent, expressive creativity. This is
best achieved if children write because they enjoy it. So, right from the start the children
are encouraged to think of themselves as valued writers with important things to write
about, and their confidence is nurtured by involving higher level skills than mere copying of
words. As your child matures as a writer he/she will be given the opportunity to write in a
range of styles for different purposes and audiences. The skills of grammar and spelling
will be taught at an appropriate stage for each child. Good presentation and handwriting is
considered important at the final draft stage of writing.
