At Eaton Square, our core subjects – English, Maths and Science – form the foundation of every pupil’s academic journey, from Pre-Nursery through to Year 6. Below, you’ll find how we teach each subject, along with our recommended reading lists by year group, including our full Year 6 reading list.
English
Overview
We encourage our pupils to voice their ideas with clarity and confidence, while also listening to and respecting others’ opinions. We believe that oracy precedes literacy – if a child can articulate their thoughts, they can transcribe them. This principle runs throughout our English lessons.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Years 1 and 2, English lessons are delivered through the ‘Read, Write, Inc.’ programme. From Years 3 to 6, children follow a creative curriculum spanning a variety of genres and opportunities for reading and writing.
Reading
From a young age, children learn to recognise the relationship between sounds and letters. Starting in Nursery, they’re taught to decode and blend words using phonics, developing reading fluency, comprehension, and confident spelling and writing.
Once fluent, children are encouraged to read widely across fiction and non-fiction. They have access to well-stocked class libraries and the whole school library, supported by our Home/School Reading Partnership involving parents, carers and grandparents. Events like Book Week, World Book Day, National Poetry Day, Poetry Together, and author workshops help foster a genuine love of reading.
Writing
In Nursery and Reception, writing develops through topic work that promotes cursive handwriting. In Years 1 and 2, children have weekly creative writing lessons alongside daily Phonics, combining technical skills with imagination.
From Years 3 to 6, children have daily English lessons, including Comprehension and Guided Reading in ability-based sets:
- Comprehension — children learn to infer, predict, summarise, identify key information, explain vocabulary and give opinions, connecting their reading to personal experience as they prepare for the 11+.
- Composition — children use a range of texts to inspire fiction and non-fiction writing, with grammar and spelling taught explicitly. Atom Learning complements traditional teaching, building accuracy and confidence.
- Handwriting — all children use cursive handwriting, with weekly lessons on letter formation and joining. From Year 5, children write with a fountain pen.
Recommended Reading Lists by Year Group
Choosing the right books can make all the difference to a child’s reading journey. Below is a taste of our recommended Year 6 reading list, alongside links to our full reading lists for every year group.
Year 6 Reading List Highlights
A selection of titles our Years 5 and 6 pupils are encouraged to explore:
| Title | Author |
| The Hobbit | J.R.R. Tolkien |
| War Horse | Michael Morpurgo |
| Holes | Louis Sachar |
| Wonder | R.J. Palacio |
| Skellig | David Almond |
| Artemis Fowl | Eoin Colfer |
| The Secret Garden | Frances Hodgson Burnett |
| Private Peaceful | Michael Morpurgo |
| The Diary of a Young Girl | Anne Frank |
| Harry Potter series | J.K. Rowling |
This is a small taste of a much longer list – from classic adventure and war fiction to contemporary favourites – designed to stretch vocabulary, comprehension and a genuine love of reading ahead of senior school.
Download the full Years 5 and 6 Reading List (PDF)
More Reading Lists
We publish a recommended reading list for every stage of Prep:
Maths
Building Confidence and Competence
We view maths as a creative and interconnected discipline – essential for everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for most forms of employment. From Reception onwards, children are taught maths using White Rose Education resources, building a solid grasp of number, shape and measure, and the confidence to solve problems through diverse methods.
Preparing for Academic Challenges
Our approach prepares pupils for senior school examinations, helping them become fluent in fundamental mathematical concepts through varied, frequent practice.
Children learn to reason mathematically – exploring lines of enquiry, identifying relationships and generalisations, and building well-supported arguments. Problem-solving is a key focus, with pupils tackling both routine and complex problems and persevering to find solutions.
Maths Competitions
Pupils regularly take part in House maths competitions, and selected Years 5 and 6 pupils represent the school in external competitions – including the Mathematical Association Primary Maths Challenge and, in the Summer Term, the UKMT Junior Challenge.
Science
Curriculum Foundation
Our Science Team equips children with investigative skills that let them confidently question the world around them, applying these skills across other subjects too. The National Curriculum forms the foundation of our scheme of work in the Lower School, preparing pupils to succeed at the end of each Key Stage and at Common Entrance level.
Learning Through Experience
Science at Eaton Square is delivered through a mix of mediums – time in our state-of-the-art science lab, school trips, and visits from STEM professionals – putting theory into practice and building real-world insight. Pupils take part in imaginative, hands-on experiments, including heart dissections, electronics kits and Merge Cubes.
