In the Early Years children are taught by their class teachers. Throughout the Prep School the girls are taught by a subject specialist.
A strong emphasis is placed on developing reading and writing skills, using a phonetic approach in the Early Years. Our girls are encouraged to read a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction texts, making use of our well-stocked class libraries and our whole school library. The girls’ reading is greatly enhanced by our termly ‘class readers’ where the girls are guided through a novel, discussing and sharing the nuances of the English language. From Year 1, girls have weekly comprehension lessons where they learn to look closely at what they are reading and as they get older, reflect on what they are reading.
Writing skills are developed in Nursery and Transition and from Year 1, the girls have weekly composition lessons where they learn to write in the styles of different genres, both in terms of fiction and non-fiction. Grammar and punctuation are also taught lessons and the girls are expected to apply what they have learnt to their written work in all areas of the curriculum. From Year 1, pupils have separate spelling lessons and tests. Pupils are prepared for using cursive script in Nursery and Reception and fluency in handwriting is developed in Key Stages 1 and 2.
