Mrs J Febvre - English Lead

I am an avid reader and studied English at university. My role as English  Lead enables me to share my passion for reading with the children and help them develop their own tastes in literature. I also enjoy visiting the theatre and use drama and role play to bring texts to life in the classroom; we include visits to local productions and from touring companies including the Young Shakespeare company.  Recently we were delighted to welcome author Annabelle Sami to the school to discuss her new book with Years 5 and 6. I enjoy working at St Margaret’s where reading is at the heart of our curriculum.  My aim is to make all English lessons inspiring and to fully engage all children in their learning.

“Books are a uniquely portable magic”

Stephen King

At the heart of our approach to learning at St Margaret’s is high quality literature.  We have based our curriculum on the Power of Reading, supported by other materials, which enables children to develop into confident and enthusiastic readers and writers. We choose our texts carefully to widen our pupils’ experiences of life and to enable them to empathise with the characters and consider important issues in the modern world.

         We aim to engender a love of reading and a fascination with vocabulary. We explicitly teach a wide range of vocabulary to the children during their time at the school. This helps them understand and evaluate the ideas of others and gives them the skills they need in reading, writing and oral communication. Access to a wide range of quality literature enables the children to become confident and articulate speakers who can debate, express opinions and listen carefully to the views of others. We use drama regularly in our reading and writing activities to bring books to life and help children empathise with the characters. We provide a wide range of reading materials and help the children to develop their own tastes as readers.

          The essential skills of phonics are taught systematically at the appropriate level for pupils throughout the school. Grammar, punctuation and spelling are taught explicitly in each year group and these skills are then used in the writing the children produce. We expose the children to a wide range of authors and help them develop their own writing skills so that they can express themselves clearly in a range of writing styles including: narrative fiction, factual reports, letters, diary entries and poetry.

           We have a well-stocked school library to which all children from Year One have access. Staff are on hand to help the children find books which will engage and inspire  them.

Below you will find lists of recommended books for each year group.

 Each month classes will take it in turn to recommend a book they have enjoyed. This month Sharks in Year 6 are reading The Wind Singer by William Nicholson, It is a novel based on the fictional walled city of Aramanth where rules are everything. To save her family Kestrel must set out on a terrifying journey....

 ISBN 978-1-4052-3969-1

World Book Day 2023

      We had a wonderful time celebrating World Book Day! 

 Here are our Reading Ambassadors for this year. They are all volunteers from Year Six who have a love of reading. They will help me keep the library tidy, help choose new books and promote reading throughout the school.