Through the English curriculum, we aim to help our children develop the skills and knowledge that will enable them to communicate effectively and creatively, through spoken and written language. We want our children to enjoy and appreciate literature and its rich variety, and we strive to promote a shared love and understanding of literacy.
Literacy is at the heart of all children’s learning. It enables children both to communicate with others effectively and to examine experiences, feelings and ideas, giving them order and meaning. Because literacy is central to children’s intellectual, emotional and social development, it has a unique and essential role across the curriculum, helping learning to be coherent and progressive. Opportunities for children to explore and develop language use in other curriculum areas are identified by teachers, who seek to take advantage of opportunities to make cross-curricular links. As children progress through the school they are provided with a wealth of opportunities to develop their literacy skills, both in and out of the classroom.
St Ives has a strong reading culture in school and our aim is for every child to take pleasure in reading across a range of genres and for a variety of purposes. We are lucky enough to have two libraries to meet the needs of the Pre-Prep and Prep parts of the school. The Pre-Prep library in the Ivies is bright and engaging, with a range of fiction and non-fiction books and cosy reading areas. The Prep library is in a beautiful light room, with a window seat that invites children to curl up with a book. It houses a range of classic and new fiction texts, and non-fiction books to support and extend learning across the curriculum. In November 2020 we conducted a pupil survey with Edurio Learning from Learners and discovered that 95% of our pupils agree with the statement "I enjoy reading".
At St Ives we believe it is important to begin the foundations of a strong English curriculum from the outset, and so in Nursery, children share books, spot letters, learn sounds and begin their journey towards learning to read and write. In Pre-Prep, class teachers teach English through texts linked to the termly topic. Children in Years 3-6 are taught by subject specialists, who share their love of the subject with the children they teach, through English lessons that are exciting and engaging, with texts that inspire the children and enhance their own creative writing. The curriculum is covered at great depth, ensuring that the skills needed are developed and embedded.
St Ives children leave our school with an ability to communicate through speaking and listening, reading and writing, with confidence, fluency and understanding in a range of situations.