In Pre-Prep, we start learning to read and write in our phonics lessons from the first day of school! In Reception, we have lots of opportunities to share stories and other books together, and to discuss our thoughts and ideas about what happens, and what might happen next. We learn to write our letters and sounds, and begin to write in sentences. We have to learn to put finger spaces in between our words, so that other people can read them! Sometimes we use our letter or word cards to help us with our writing. We also love playing games with our friends that help us practise our new skills. We have lots of toys and games in our classroom and in the garden that help us to practise!  

In Year 1 and 2 we begin to write using a fully cursive script. It’s tricky at first but we practise our handwriting until it gets easier. Every week we do reading, handwriting, phonics, spelling, comprehension, grammar and writing. There is a lot to learn, but often it is fun. Recently in Year 2 we have taking inspiration from the film ‘Up’ – creating alternative endings, and then moving on to writing our own adventure stories. We try to plan our stories first using a ‘story mountain’ planner, before we write it in full. The story mountain makes you think about the outline of the story before you start. We are also learning to review our own work – to check it when we think we are finished, and try to spot and fix any mistakes.

Ms Finlayson – Head of Pre-Prep