EDUCATION leaders from Colombia visit Essex primary school to learn best approach to teaching reading.

Waltham Holy Cross Primary Academy welcomed senior education leaders from Bogotá, capital city of Colombia, to see how the school teaches reading so successfully to its pupils.

More than one million children attend schools in Bogota under the leadership of the delegation, who were keen to learn how phonics is being taught at Waltham Holy Cross from Early Years through to Year 2.

They were impressed to see how the school’s approaches clearly motivated and engaged all pupils, teaching them at the level relevant to their own current ability and leading to good progress, with excellent support from school staff. Waltham Holy Cross Primary Academy is part of NET Academies Trust, a high-performing trust of six primary schools and one nursery.

The visitors from Colombia had been in London to attend the Education World Forum, the largest gathering of Ministers of Education in the world, exchanging experiences of tackling challenges in school education, particularly post-pandemic. In countries such as Colombia, 70% of young people cannot read a basic text by the age of 10. The delegation therefore wanted to see the school’s teaching of phonics, which has been proven to support the development of reading skills in young children.

The Colombian visitors now intend to look into how phonics in Spanish could be introduced in schools in Bogota.

Edna Bonilla, Secretary of Education, Bogota City, said:

“Thank you Waltham Holy Cross for such an inspiring visit. Staff spoke knowledgeably and impressively about how phonics is being implemented to such good effect, and we were really inspired by how engaged and confident the children were in their reading and writing.”

Sarah Clarke, the Head of School at Waltham Holy Cross Primary Academy, said:

“We were delighted to host our friends from Bogota and to explain how the teaching of phonics at Waltham Holy Cross Primary Academy is making sure our pupils get the best start in reading.”