LIBRARY TALK

The children had a lovely visit today from one of the librarians from Witham library. She discussed the recent reading challenge, presented the children with their certificates and told the children all about library membership and the amazing world of books, 📚

Our aims

 At Holy Family we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. We help our children develop a secure knowledge-base which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary school. We believe that teaching children to read and write as early as possible is fundamental as this is the key to learning and will also have a huge impact on their self esteem and future life chances.

We value the importance of building a nurturing culture where children have a positive attitude towards communication, and are proud to express their independent ideas. We encourage an appreciation of our rich and varied literary heritage and a habit of reading widely for enjoyment. Through our English Curriculum, we strive to teach the children how important their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills will be in the real world. By giving this context to their learning, the children understand the value of English to them now, and in their futures.

How we do this
Our curriculum closely follows the aims of the National Curriculum for English 2014. These aims are embedded across our English lessons and the wider curriculum. We have a rigorous and well organised English curriculum that provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion. Teachers use a range of planning  appropriate to their classes, but also ensure that cross curricular links with current topic work are woven into the programme of study. We use a extensive variety of high quality texts and resources to motivate and inspire our children. This enables them to read, write and discuss with passion and confidence.  Workshops in public speaking are carried out with years 2 to 6.

What this looks like
As a result we have a community of enthusiastic readers and writers who enjoy showcasing their developing literacy knowledge and skills. They are confident to take risks in their reading and writing, and love to discuss and share their ideas. Our attainment at the end of EYFS, KS1 and KS2 is above the national average.

Public Speaking at Holy Family

To stand like a Mighty Oak has improved the communication skills of our children tremendously. This carefully orchestrated Public Speaking Programme, encourages children to overcome fear, gain skills and inspire others to stand tall and speak out.

The children are taken on a journey to prepare them to perform to a live audience. The programme is deliberately and carefully structured with purpose: to inform, to convince and to entertain. The children are taught to consider the way they stand, move, use their voice and maintain eye-contact to draw their audience in.

The Might Oak Public Speaking Scheme of Work has had a significant impact on our children’s achievement and confidence beyond the lessons. They have transferred their skills to enhance their performance across the curriculum, particularly when they are presenting, persuading or performing.