Tuesday 23rd January 2024 was a fantastic day for Elmhurst Primary School as we hosted an open day with the UKLA (UK Literacy Association) as their 'Literacy School of the Year' (2023) award winners.
We were honoured to welcome fifty teachers to our school from all over the country and share our rich Literacy offer across the EYFS, KS1 and KS2. Our teachers showcased their skill and expertise in teaching Phonics, Reading, Writing, as well as Shakespeare and Debating. The plethora of positive feedback we received noted how engaged the children are at Elmhurst, how much they love Literacy learning and our successful approach to teaching writing.
Children in KS2 discussed their writing with visitors. The Writing for Pleasure pedagogy gives children ownership over the writing processes, so they have lots to discuss in terms of their stylistic choices.
Year 3 children showcased multiple opportunities to talk to their partners and formulate their ideas, before sharing with a larger group.
We are lucky to have specific teaching on Shakespeare. This develops children's understanding of our country's literary history and helps them master key elements of performance.
We are proud to receive some of the highest marks in Phonics in the whole country, a testament to the rigour of the teaching and the high standards promoted for all children.
A state-of-the-art theatre offers an impressive environment for performance at our school. The children certainly rose to the challenge of performing to the visitors who had travelled from far and wide.
If you attended this open day we hope you enjoyed the day as much as the Elmhurst staff and children did. We would love to hear from you about what you learnt during the day and how you may implement this in your school. Please do get in touch with us via Instagram, X, Linked In or Facebook, we would be keen to hear from you.
Furthermore, we are very excited to announce that our headteacher Ms Samra will be a keynote speaker at the forthcoming UKLA National Conference on the 2nd March 2024. In this keynote, Ms Samra will share her story of how her own literacy journey has informed her deep commitment to providing a rich literacy offer for her pupils, as well as much more.
