Good communication is extremely important for us all, especially if we claim to be followers of Christ. We need to be able to understand God’s communication to us. This allows us to distinguish truth from untruth, using the Bible as our foundation to become discerning thinkers. It also equips us to communicate the gospel with each other and the world around us.

For a pupil to live a purposeful life, strong first teaching of the key English concepts is vital. English teachers are essentially literacy teachers, and literacy skills are the essential links between all curriculum areas and all facets of life.

Anyone can communicate ideas, but to communicate them well is an art form – this is what it means to strive for excellence in English. Pupils should therefore be encouraged to take risks and be creative in their communication.

Excellent communication needs to be modelled regularly and accurately – a diverse language-rich environment fosters this. This is not only important for English classrooms, but for every learning environment within our school community.