Our principal aim is to foster a life-long love of language and literature in all its forms through reading, writing, speaking and listening. We also aim to create a happy, purposeful environment where each individual child is nurtured and encouraged to achieve her full potential.

At the centre of all our English teaching and learning is a shared love of reading and the belief in the power of the written word to engage both at an individual and group level. The shared class text, whether story, poetry, non-fiction or play, is used to stimulate creativity and the imagination; to arouse an interest in the writer’s craft and the use of language; to develop a discriminating critical faculty and to enhance the powers of communication and expression in all its forms. This shared text, whether Shakespearean or contemporary, printed or electronic, provides the opportunity to look both out towards society and the needs of a rapidly changing world, as well as in towards the development and understanding of self.

English is taught in classes which are broadly streamed and involves working as a whole class, in small groups and independently. The small class sizes allow for much individual teacher attention. A broad range of resources is used including written material, pictures, photographs, DVD recordings, CDs, the internet and the beautiful and inspiring environment of Hanford. Theatre trips, school plays, book fairs, the library and opportunities to write for a wider audience all contribute to the English curriculum, and flexibility and responding to the moment are seen as integral elements of a successful lesson; nothing is ever set in stone.

In short, we aim for an atmosphere of eager anticipation in a classroom where there is a genuine desire to learn and confidence can grow.
 

Hanford Memories

I found a paradise, hidden in trees,

Ponies' stables, hives for bees.

Chickens scratching in the dust,

Once shiny tractors, smothered with rust.

My friends and I, we all ran free,

Jumping jumps and scaling trees.

Bubbling laughter in the dorm,

Playing leapfrog on the lawn.

Clip-clop of hooves upon the earth.

These precious days for all they're worth,

Have watched us leaping for the sky,

And taught us how, like birds, to fly,

Rosie Hanmer (Year 8)

 

My Dad

My Dad is green

He's a happy squirrel.

A handful of twigs and a

Pocket of conkers.

He's a can of coke

About to burst.

A rug beside the fire

And a cuddly teddy bear.

He's a snowball flying

Swiftly through the air.

A present wrapped in

Spotty paper.

I love my dad.

Mara Fane (Year 5)