Language is at the heart of children’s learning; it is central to their intellectual, emotional and social development. In St. Paul’s, we aim to provide children with structured and stimulating opportunities, to use language in ways appropriate to their needs and to the world in which they live.

High priority is placed upon developing in the children the ability to use Literacy and English appropriately and concisely through listening attentively, talking fluently, reading with understanding, and writing with style and accuracy.  They are encouraged to think for themselves, analyse text and ask and answer higher order thinking skills questions.

Children are introduced to reading using ‘Storyworld’ and ‘Jolly Phonics’. At the moment in Primary 3, most children move on to ‘Literacy World’, a programme used to teach a wide range of higher order reading skills in a structured way. Through discussion of the texts read, children learn to form and offer opinions and extend their vocabulary. They are encouraged to respond to different types of text and develop a deeper understanding of what they are reading. The children are encouraged to use literacy skills in a number of different contexts, including novel studies at each stage from Primaries 3-7.

The school has an infant & upper school library and each class has its own fiction library. Reading for research and enjoyment is encouraged at all times, and parents are asked to foster this at home.

In Primary 1, children are introduced to writing through an emergent writing programme. As they move through the school, their development is furthered by making use of the many meaningful opportunities for writing which are afforded by learning in, for example our IDL topics.

‘Tools for literacy’ are developed consistently through the use of ‘Jolly Grammar’ in P2&3, our spelling programme from P1-P7.  These skills of spelling, punctuation and grammar are taught explicitly. weekly, and are applied through reading and writing.