English

Almost everything that we do at school helps to develop a child’s English skills. Our children learn about the world – and they learn to talk about it, read about it and write about it. For our youngest children, this involves learning language incidentally as they explore their surroundings through play alongside their peers and teachers as well as more explicit teaching; for our older children, it involves learning to think more precisely and analytically about the words they choose, and the tone and the effects they create.

Reading is at the heart of school life at Millbank Gardens. Put simply, we believe that every child can learn to read, and that we are here to work with parents to make that happen. Our reason for this simple: we want our children to leave us with the confidence and skills they need to achieve success at secondary school and beyond, and we know that we can only achieve this aim if children leave us able to read with fluency and understanding.

We teach word reading and word writing through Read Write Inc, a highly-regarded phonics and spelling programme, from our children’s first year at school. Our teaching style combines an engaging, child-friendly approach with clear explanations and plentiful opportunities for practice. Our aim is to make sure that every child is successful, and we do this by teaching in small enough groups to allow us to know what level each child is at and what we need to do to support them to make progress. We know how important practice is to, and we are grateful to our parents for their support in reinforcing what children learn at home.

However, learning to read is about much more than learning to decode words: we must also develop children’s understanding of language. We explicitly teach a range of vocabulary, and we read with them a range of high-quality texts from around the world to help them develop the ‘habits of a reader’, from monitoring comprehension to recalling prior knowledge. Just as importantly, doing this exposes children to ambitious and exciting texts that will stay with them forever.

We teaching writing using an approach called ‘The Write Stuff’, which draws on the latest research evidence to teach children the art of writing with precision, control and flair. Alongside this, we teach children the rules of grammar and help them learn how to apply them to their own writing.

Reading and writing are valuable skills for our children’s futures, and we therefore work hard to ensure that our children continue to achieve success in these areas. However, our strong focus on reading and writing does not mean that we have a narrow curriculum – quite the opposite, in fact. We know that a deep understanding of the world is vital to allow children to understand what they read and to allow them to write with clarity and purpose. Our ambitious offer of trips and enrichment opportunities, and the diverse range of subjects we teach all help children develop into confident, mature readers and writers.

Reading and writing should bring joy, and we aim to inspire that in our children. The routines of daily story time with their teachers as well as visits to the school and local libraries are important parts of this, but we also hold a range of activities, from ‘buddy reading’ with friends in other year groups to ‘Books at Bedtime’ events, when children read with a hot chocolate in hand!