English at Hillbrook

My name is Daisy Killeen and i am the Literacy Lead at Hillbrook. I have been part of the Hillbrook Community since 2018, predominantly working in Year 6. As Literacy Leader I am passionate about fostering a love of reading and writing across the school and ensuring that every child sees themselves reflected in the texts we share. I was the classroom lead for Reflecting Realiites CLPE programme, which deepened my committment to promoting diveristy and inclusion through literature. A lifelong reader myslelf, I love discovering new books to share with pupils and inspiring them to find joy in reading.

At Hillbrook, we believe that everyone, no matter their starting point, can and will flourish in English. Our long-term aim is to teach an ambitious, creative and rich curriculum for all pupils from Nursery to Year 6. We want to give children an education of the highest standard and aim for excellence in all of our lessons.

We believe that literacy is the root structure which allows all other areas of learning to flourish. Through the use of high-quality and diverse literature as a foundation and stimulus from which to build from, we aim to create a community of confident and creative writers who experiment and reflect on the use of language. We want all children to enjoy English, to experience success in the ability to read, write, speak and listen and to use these skills to unlock the wonders of the wider curriculum as well as embrace the wealth of opportunities in the world beyond school.

We understand that communication and language are the foundations for success within English and are committed to ensuring our children are immersed in a language-rich environment from the beginning, with regular, quality adult-led interactions. We want all children to be able to express themselves confidently, have the vocabulary to be able to communicate articulately and the ability to structure their thoughts.

We know that reading plays a vital role in every child’s development. We want our pupils to become life-long readers who appreciate the importance of reading to acquire knowledge but also value books as a source of enjoyment. We want our children to have a breadth of genre and wide range of text types at their fingertips, enabling them to draw upon powerful language and patterns of storytelling.

By the end of their Hillbrook journey, our intent is that our children have acquired a solid understanding of grammar, built a bank of rich vocabulary and a unique flair, carefully supported by engaging and representative literature. We want our pupils to leave Hillbrook with a clear and practised understanding of the writing process that real creatives experience. Following this process, our children will be successful and independent in planning and understand the role of reflection and feedback in the creation of a piece. With the ability to adapt their language and style to a range of contexts, purposes and audiences, we hope to develop the authors of the future.

We believe that the power of literacy lies not just in the ability to read, write, speak and listen but rather in a person’s ability to apply these skills to effectively communicate, connect and make sense of the world in which we live. We want our children to not only function in an ever-changing world, but to thrive.