English
Aims of the Subject
Equipping children with the skills of reading and writing, speaking and listening.
Engendering a child’s love of English for its own sake.
Developing a child’s confidence with, and enjoyment of, reading, writing and the spoken word.
Preparing children for their next school.
Assessment Methods
Subject teachers assess the children in their speaking and listening, writing and reading through regular class activities. In addition, spelling and reading assessments take place annually. There are school exams that reflect National Curriculum requirements to Year 6; thereafter, exams reflect the requirements of senior school entrance tests. Handwriting is also monitored each year. 
Teaching Techniques
Questioning is a key aspect of regular lessons and the class reader remains the foundation for a variety of spoken and written work in Years 3 to 8. Class discussion, individual, paired and group activities take place. Spelling tests and grammar and punctuation exercises contribute to the English diet. There is a focus on identifying and generating criteria for different forms of work, so that children have a ‘toolbox’ of skills from which they may select appropriately. In Years 6 to 8, children generate a portfolio of work that includes a variety of writing forms.
Through the year there are schoolwide competitions to enhance and showcase skills and ability: Recitation, Public Speaking, Handwriting and Just a Minute competitions take place each year.
Theatre trips and author visits take place regularly. Book Week occurs each year to coincide with World Book Day.
The Library is an important resource for English and children in Years 3 to 8 visit the School Library weekly. Reading is recognised as the foundation for attainment in English and all the children are expected to have a reading book ‘on the go’.
Use of ICT within the Subject
Staff use the interactive whiteboard to support learning (for instance, by recording discussion notes) to highlight texts and to share media files and film.
The ICT rooms are accessed by children to use programs that support specific work formats; for example, newspapers and advertisements. Children are regularly required to use ICT at home to generate word-processed writing that may be revised at a later date or used for display purposes.