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English

The study of English clearly involves learning to read and write, and teaching these essential skills begins as soon as children start school, in an environment where sharing stories and books is a pleasure. The development of children’s speaking and listening skills is accorded a high priority, and opportunities exist from the Nursery (age 3) onwards for discussion, presentation and performance.

We aim to encourage in the children a love of reading and a curiosity about books. They are exposed to a wide variety of texts from different times and places during their time at school, visit the dynamic and well stocked library every week, and are given opportunities to hear different writers read or perform their work. Having had this experience, children should leave school able to pursue their own tastes in reading, with an awareness of great writers, and how they fit into the literary heritage. They should also develop an appreciation of the magnificent variety of English as a language and how it has changed since the days of Beowulf.

During their time at TCH, children will be helped to develop in confidence and skill as independent writers. They will not only learn grammatical rules, but also to apply these in a number of forms, including essays, poetry, reports, articles and play scripts. A variety of opportunities will be provided to share their writing with different audiences.

We hope to foster sympathetic listeners and to develop children’s confidence in spoken English. They will engage in pair work, group discussions, readings, dramatic performances, and give presentations to different audiences. As part of drama in English, children will take part in role-plays, improvisations, hot-seating and thought-tracking exercises.

From the age of 4, English is taught by class teachers in the children’s classrooms which are all equipped with Interactive Whiteboards. From the age of 9, children are taught by specialist English teachers. The curriculum is designed around both the Framework for Literacy and the ISEB syllabus.

We employ a variety of teaching methods which are complemented by the use of DVDs and other visual stimuli, interactive software, and games. Independent research is also encouraged.