At Mornington Park we believe students need to be able to read, write, talk, listen and think critically in order to access written, visual and technologically based information in all areas of society. Being confident and competent with literacy is vital to achievement in all areas of learning and we aim to do this through a broad range of activities and teaching methods that cater for all children. This belief underpins all of the literacy learning that occurs at Mornington Park on a daily basis.  

At Mornington Park we use a variety of strategies in our reading curriculum to ensure optimum opportunities for students to learn to read and develop a love of literature. Lessons include shared or modelled reading, explicit instruction, independent reading, one to one reading conferences with the teacher and small group work.  Targets and goals are set for whole class achievement and individually through reading conferences.  We pride ourselves on our well-resourced libraries that are filled with high quality, age appropriate literature for children to access and learn from.

Learning to write is a complicated task. In the early years at school the children will learn to write lowercase letters, capital letters, numerals, mathematical signs and various types of punctuation. Not only do the students learn to write the letters and numbers but also will be taught how to use them correctly to express their ideas in words, sentences and stories.

As the students skill set develops they will be taught to write for different needs. E.g. to persuade, inform, entertain and instruct.  Literacy lessons focus on the development of vocabulary, punctuation, sentence structure, organisation, presentation, conventions, developing ideas and a writer’s voice.

At Mornington Park we recognise that the ability to spell fluently and accurately enables students to become more effective writers. Students are supported in spelling based on individual needs as identified through assessments and their own writing.  In the early years children are explicitly taught phonics and phonemic awareness.

We believe that speaking and listening is a vital part of literacy that goes hand in hand with reading and writing. At Mornington Park oral language is embedded across all areas of the curriculum. We develop confidence in speaking and listening by giving children a variety of opportunities for public speaking, questioning, collaboration, debating, singing and performance.  Our focus is on building vocabulary, composition, fluency, articulation, confidence and self-esteem.