English

Our English program is built on the Science of Reading principles, alongside evidence-based practices in writing instruction and explicit teaching of spelling.

This approach provides a cohesive and engaging literacy progression from Foundation to Grade 6, ensuring all children develop the essential skills to read, write, and communicate effectively.

Core components of reading development

Our approach to reading emphasises the importance of systematic, explicit instruction in 5 key areas:

• Phonemic awareness: understanding the sounds in words.
• Phonics: connecting sounds to letters.
• Vocabulary: building a rich understanding of words.
• Fluency: reading smoothly and accurately.
• Comprehension: understanding the meaning of texts.

This journey begins in the early years with a focus on decoding and comprehending text. As children progress, we guide them to read increasingly complex materials, building their knowledge and critical thinking skills. We encourage them to “read like a writer,” analysing how authors use language, structure, and style to convey meaning.

Becoming skilled writers

Children become skilled writers through explicit instruction that moves progressively. We start with fundamental skills like letter formation and basic words, then advance to sentence level writing, and eventually to composing cohesive paragraphs and extended texts.

We emphasise “writing like a reader”, encouraging students to consider their audience and purpose. They learn to apply key writing traits such as:

• Ideas: Developing strong content.
• Organisation: Structuring their writing clearly.
• Voice: Expressing their unique personality.
• Word choice: Using precise and impactful language.
• Sentence fluency: Crafting varied and smooth sentences.
• Conventions: Applying proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Presentation: Presenting their work clearly.

We’re committed to fostering a love of language and strong literacy skills in every child.