English & Literacy in The Prep Department

Trinity School

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Welcome to English & Literacy

English/Literacy skills underpin everything we do in the Prep Department, given their importance in allowing children to access the curriculum. From Reception class onwards we focus on building the children’s reading and writing skills.

In addition, however, through specialist teaching in Drama, we develop the children’s ability to speak with confidence and teach them to listen considerately to others. Regular opportunities for performance allow children to become articulate. Our extra curricular English Speaking Board Programme is very popular and students have enjoyed great success at Local and Regional Festivals.

Aims and Curriculum

Within the Department we aim to develop a love of reading and a passion for the English language. We give our pupils every opportunity to express themselves orally, and in writing, and we encourage lively debates on topical issues. Class teachers are responsible for teaching Literacy to their year group.

In the Early Years we have introduced the Letters and Sounds programme for teaching phonics. We use the ‘Focus on Literacy’ Scheme of work throughout the Department; supplemented by a wide range of wonderful, rich texts to develop the children’s vocabulary. In Reception the children learn their sounds and start writing using the Cranbourne cursive script. They are introduced to reading and quickly start to take reading books home each night to practise.

In Year 1 the children are encouraged to write in full sentences and are introduced to the basic sentence punctuation. They continue to read aloud daily at home and at school. In Year 2 the volume of work increases as the children are more fluent at writing. They start to write poems and stories and cover a wide range of grammar.

Extra Curricular Activities

Clubs and extra curricular activities change regularly. Children have enjoyed book Club and annually celebrate World Book Day. We regularly invite Children’s authors into school to talk to and inspire the children. Drama Club stages an annual performance which is enormously popular with everyone who attends. The English Speaking Board Programme runs throughout the year and gives many children the chance to develop their oratory skills.

This subject is co-ordinated by Miss Lyndsey Elliot . Click on the relevant link for their profile.

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