UKLA Literacy School Of The Year 2023

Our amazing school has been recognised by the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) for its excellence in literacy and has been awarded Literacy School of the year!

Please read the official UKLA press release which was written after three experienced UKLA judges spent an inspirational day at Elmhurst to validate what was included in our submission:

https://ukla.org/news/2023-ukla-literacy-school-of-the-year/

We have been on a journey ( and that is still ongoing) to review, adapt, implement and evaluate our literacy provision so that it meets our children's needs and talents and fully equips them to not only be successful in any future career but also to become lifelong readers and writers. Our teaching of phonics has been highly effective for many years but we were not fully happy with our reading and writing in KS2 so we changed our approaches over the last few years and we are so glad that we did! Our children and staff enjoy the reading and lessons more and the pupils' outcomes are more thoughtful, independent and creative. 

As you are aware we have also had the vision to enrich our literacy through the 'extras' that we provide at Elmhurst that many other schools do not. This includes: Shakespeare programme in KS2, debating from year 2, Poetry residential to the New Forest, Art residential to European cities to name just a few!

Mr Sam Creighton (literacy lead) wrote the excellent submission to the UKLA, supported by members of the leadership team including Ms Young and our Literacy Specialist teachers like Ms Vadher, who also contributed. I will be receiving the award this weekend in Exeter with Ms Young and Mr Creighton and we will also share a presentation to the UKLA conference on our successful literacy journey and provision. 

This award is a validation of the decisions and improvements we have been making to improve our speaking and listening, writing and reading curriculum and pedagogy over the last 20 years. I would like to congratulate all of our staff, pupils, governors, leadership team and parents and carers. This award is recognising the quality of our literacy and the dedication of all of our staff, from nursery to year 6. As Professor Cremin, an eminent expert in this field stated:

​“I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Elmhurst for UKLA School of the Year, 2023.  In my view, this award is well overdue. “

The school will have an official event to mark this award before the end of term in which our pupils will showcase their talents in this area.