Inspiring our writers: English at Marlborough St Mary's!

Our Vision:

Marlborough St Mary’s envisions an inclusive, happy, and thriving school at the heart of our local community. Together, our families and dedicated staff guide our children to become confident, independent learners who care for themselves, each other, and the environment around them. Our mantra is simple: Be brilliant, be bold, be kind. Together, we believe, learn, and achieve.

Subject leaders - Mrs Naomi Bathurst, Miss Georgia Derbyshire and Mr Russell Goodman

 

Life-long readers: Our Curriculum's Intent:

At Marlborough St Mary’s, we believe that the teaching of English is fundamental to our children succeeding, enabling them to access the next stage of their education and beyond. Our curriculum has been designed to ensure that children enjoy reading and writing and have a passion and enthusiasm for English. Across our curriculum, each year group aims to explore books, poems and events written by or about people from a range of cultures and races.  Through using high –quality texts, immersing children in vocabulary-rich environments and ensuring curriculum expectations and the progression of skills are met, the children at Marlborough St Mary’s are exposed to a creative, aspirational and engaging English curriculum.  

 

The Adventure of Learning: How We Teach English:

Our teaching methods are tailored to your child's needs. We use continuous and blended provision, role-playing, and imaginative stimuli to make learning enjoyable. In reading, we use various strategies, including book talk, to help your child become a competent reader. Our writing units align with national curriculum objectives and are always linked to our reading lessons. We teach grammar, punctuation, spelling, and handwriting to ensure that your child develops strong writing skills. We organise exciting trips and author visits to stimulate your child's love for reading and writing. We link this to our community through the Marlborough Literature Festival, where our children have the opportunity to attend a week-long event that enriches their love of reading. These experiences allow them to connect with the town's rich history and culture.

 

Communication and Language: Talk 🗣️

In our school, we believe that communication and language are fundamental. We encourage your child to express themselves and interact with others through planned opportunities for talking during lessons. It's the first step in building strong communication skills.

Vocabulary and Phonics: Read 📚

Reading is at the core of our curriculum. We teach reading through phonics, using the Read, Write Inc. program in Reception. Phonics helps children learn to read by breaking down words into sounds and blending them together. After the children have finished the Read, Write Inc. scheme, we then move on to book talk, a form of discussion based, guided reading as a whole class. Over the course of your child's school career, they will be exposed to high-quality texts every term, linked to our topics where possible, that will enhance your child's knowledge of the world around them. We find opportunities to incorporate texts that include a diverse range of characters and situations in order to build empathy for others into our curriculum. We provide exciting opportunities for children to explore vocabulary, predict, sequence, make inferences, and retrieve information from texts.

Self-Belief and Self-Worth: Pride 🌈

We strive to nurture your child's self-belief and self-worth, helping them take pride in their achievements and abilities. Sharing this builds their confidence and self-esteem, which are crucial elements for their personal growth.

Sense of Community and Belonging: Marlborough 🏘️

Marlborough is not just a place; it's a sense of belonging. We want your child to feel like they are part of our school community, where they are valued and supported in their learning journey and are active contributors to the wonderful place they get to call their school! 

 

Measuring the Impact: Achieving Our Goals:

The impact of our efforts is clear: progress, passion, and transferable skills. By the end of Key Stage 2, we aim for all children to have made significant progress in their learning journey. They will be confident, creative writers and passionate readers, ready to embark on further education with high aspirations.

At Marlborough St Mary's, we are committed to nurturing well-rounded learners who are not only academically successful but also compassionate, confident, and full of curiosity. We hope that their love for English and their sense of pride in themselves and their community will continue to grow and flourish as they move forward in their educational journey.