English

English is essential for the educational and social progress of our children, allowing them to make sense of our rapid and ever changing world and understand their place in it.  It is through language, story and text that children learn to form concepts, connect ideas and express themselves.

At Whitefield we understand that the development of vocabulary is fundamental to learning and so we place heavy emphasis on developing children’s vocabulary across the whole curriculum.  

English is taught using a text based approach, thus ensuring that children are immersed in high quality literature. Texts have been carefully selected to act as  mirrors, windows and sliding doors. Books are mirrors when readers see their own lives reflected in the pages. Books are also windows when they allow readers a view of lives and stories that are different from their own. Books become sliding glass doors when readers feel transported into the world of the story and when they feel empathy for the characters.

It is through this approach that we intend to make our children proficient in oral language, reading and writing and equip them to be citizens of the future.