English

“Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible.” – Barack Obama

At The Meadow School, we value reading as a key life skill and are dedicated to enabling our pupils to become lifelong readers. We expect our children to leave The Meadow reading fluently and effortlessly, with understanding at an age appropriate interest level in readiness for Secondary School. For this to be achieved, carefully planned, systematic, multi-sensory Phonics lessons are taught in order for children to become equipped to decode words accurately; develop an understanding of our complex phonetic code and consequently, become fluent readers. English lessons focus on developing a ‘living library’ in children’s minds, created by engagement with high quality books throughout their Primary years. Our approach to teaching reading is ‘Phonics First…but not forever’ as fluency, comprehension and enjoyment of reading are our ultimate goals as the children move through the school.

“If you want to be a writer you must do two things above all others: you must read a lot and write a lot.” -Stephen King

Writing is crucial. It is a formal or informal capture of factual information and creative imagination. It is a means to communicate to an audience the full spectrum of human emotions and intent. Words are a powerful exchange between writer and reader. Learning to write requires careful, deliberate and systematic teaching as well as enthusing and inspiring children by developing their love of language. To achieve this, writing is taught through 3 zones: the ideas of writing, the tools of writing and the techniques of writing within a range of non-fiction and fiction genres. Where appropriate, we link our writing context to our curriculum themes, finding real life reasons for children’s writing to enthuse them with purpose.