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At Highgate Junior School, our English programme offers creative and engaging ways for pupils to enjoy reading and writing, equipping them with the skills for further education and personal development.

We spoke to Junior School English Champions (left to right), Librarian, Lauren Johnston, and teachers Áine Mulkeen and Sonal Bastian about literacy learning and the importance of reading from an early age.

What does the role of an English Champion entail in the Junior School?
Sonal: We oversee literacy planning for the whole school, making sure that it’s robust and creative but also that it’s evolving and we’re changing the texts regularly. Reading has always been a pleasure for me and led me to do an English degree, now I’m teaching it’s especially rewarding to encourage children to enjoy reading.

Áine: I work with Year 3 and 4 teams to ensure the units of work and the curriculum are continually looked at with fresh eyes, and with progression between the year groups. We ensure that each core text, be it a novel, picture book or group of poems, is going to capture the children’s imagination, as well as proving to be an effective springboard for both their reading and writing skills. Prior to teaching I worked in publishing and I’m also an author, so English is a big part of my life, inside and outside of school.

How are reading lessons integrated into literacy learning?
A: Every class goes to the library once a week to have their reading lesson where they explore a piece of text, sometimes in small group discussions, on other occasions they’re given written tasks and  activities like role play. This enables the children to unpick what they’re reading in different ways and builds the various skills that will help them to be active and engaged readers. As part of the lessons, pupils still get the chance to do their own independent reading so there’s a balance of reading for pleasure and reading with a particular skill in mind.

In class, we teach writing skills that the children integrate into their independent writing. For example, we would teach the children how to use conjunctions not just in a vacuum, but within a story in order to make them more ambitious writers.

What books are pupils currently reading in the classroom?
A: In Year 3, we’re currently reading ‘Knights and Bikes’ by Gabrielle Kent. It’s a book that all the pupils find exciting for the humour and adventures. The children are immersed in the book for six weeks, during which time they’ll use it as inspiration to create various pieces of writing.

We want our pupils to be inspired by a whole range of voices, characters and experiences. In Year 3 we’ll study a poetry unit with poems by Robert Louis Stevenson all the way through to contemporary poetry from Joseph Coelho, the recent Children’s Laureate.

S: In Year 4 we have core text such as the C.S. Lewis classic ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’, and in Year 5, we’re reading something more current with ‘Happy Here’, a series of short stories and poems by Black authors and illustrators. We’ll combine a range of texts with fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. It’s really important that children see themselves reflected in the books to discuss other faiths and diverse backgrounds.

Pupils can enjoy a wide range of books in our library

Lauren, can you explain more about the library as a resource for pupils.
Lauren: My role is to keep the library organised, well stocked and to help pupils find books they like, and to expand their imagination. I also support teachers with the curriculum to ensure there are links with the core texts for literacy and with other subjects. Pupils can borrow books (we have around 3,000) to read here, at home or take away on holiday. It’s a welcoming space for them to come and have a quiet moment in the day if they want to read.

We also encourage pupils to become Library Assistants where they can help out and bring their own ideas to help shape what we offer. The Assistants recently initiated more buddy reading, and a Year 6 pupil wrote her own book and read it to the Pre-Prep pupils, which we’re hoping to do more of. They also want to do more charitable work to donate some of our older stock to children who don’t have as much access to books as they are fortunate to have here.

What literary events do the pupils take part in?
L: I organise author talks to support the core texts for each year group, giving pupils the opportunity to meet real writers and ask them questions. Some authors will do hands-on activities with drawing, such as author Adam Kay when he came in with illustrator Henry Paker. This is good for pupils who aren’t as confident with their writing but can express themselves in other creative ways. Author Jasbinder Bilan recently came in to speak to Year 5 about their core text ‘Asha and the Spirit Bird’ and Gabrielle Kent visited to talk about her book with Year 3.

We take part in events like World Book Day every March which is a highlight of the year, and the Readathon challenge encourages pupils to read as much as they can during the October half term break. The minutes are collectively counted to see which House has won and the top pupils receive a book of their choice as a prize.

Author Jasbinder Bilan visited the Junior School

What advice would you offer parents and carers to integrate reading outside of school?
A: We really encourage our pupils to encounter the written word every day. That can of course be a child reading silently by themselves, but it can also be someone reading to them, or listening to an audio book.

S: Make a special place in your home, like a den with fairy lights or a cosy chair that encourages them to look forward to their reading time, rather than it become a family chore at the end of the day. Encouraging them to read good quality chapter books rather than just image-based texts will also help.

L: I compile a reading list at various points in the year, based on new books that have just come out, along with recommendations from our assistants, for parents to see what’s on offer to their child and involve them in making their own selections.

Find out more about our Junior School curriculum here.