Our curriculum for writing and curriculum lessons is enriched through reading. Carefully selected texts inspire and add context to all topics providing those with limited experience the insight to access other areas they may not have been able to without reading.
We want the children in our school to:
- Enjoy reading all genre of books and appreciate the value and worth of reading in everyday life.
- Read a range of different kinds of reading material fluently and with understanding
- Make choices about the sorts of texts that they enjoy
- Use reading skills to search for information
- Use a full range of reading cues (e.g. phonics, grammar and context)
- Read ‘between the lines’ and behind the images
- Be exposed to literature that is beyond their current experience and fluency.
Reading Culture
We use a number of different strategies to promote a child’s love of books and encourage them to become confident, independent readers. Children are provided with many opportunities to read, enjoy and share books as well as being emerged in language rich environments with access to a breadth of vocabulary and print.
Core Offer
Throughout the school day children are provided with many opportunities to develop and strengthen their literacy skills. These include:
- Daily phonics sessions in Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1
- Daily supported reading sessions in Year 1
- A focused reading programme in KS2 which allows for discussion, analysis and written responses to text
- A focus text used in literacy lessons
- Home reading books and a reading diary to record in
- A class novel
- Opportunities to role play and act out fictional scenes
- Meeting real life authors
Phonics
Pre-reading skills are taught using synthetic phonics and the school follows the government published program ‘Letters and Sounds’, using resources from the ‘Read, Write Inc’ program. This provides us with a multi-sensory approach that accommodates all learning styles.
The children are taught within the phase that is appropriate to their level of development. They are assessed on a regular basis and groups are sorted accordingly. The phonemes (sounds) are systematically taught before the children are shown how to blend them for reading and segmenting them for writing. Alongside this the children are taught the ’high frequency words’ (those words which do not entirely follow the phonic rules). Staff receive regular training in the teaching of phonics which ensures that they deliver interesting, interactive sessions that engage and motivate the children.
Children take home each week a ‘phonics reading book’ linked to the phonic phase they are learning. Adults in school read regularly with children to check books provide opportunities for consolidation and challenge.
Year 2 to 6 Reading
We follow the Destination Reader approach to teaching reading in KS2. It involves daily sessions incorporating whole class modelling prior to the children applying these skills through partner work and independent reading. Children deepen their understanding of the texts they read through the systematic use of a series of strategies and language stems. The approach encompasses the key principles of effective reading provision and fully meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. It also builds a culture of reading for pleasure and purpose.
Reception and Year 1 Reading
The Daily Supported Reading Programme (DSR) is a classroom programme that helps to move all children on in their reading. It is delivered initially to Year One, then introduced into Reception and for lowest attaining children in Year Two for maximum impact across the school. It helps children make accelerated progress by working with trained adults in small groups matched to their independent reading levels. This method has a proven track record of success in raising school reading standards at Key Stage 1.
Supporting children to catch up quickly
Where it has been identified that children need additional support to meet age related expectations, the school offer a range of intervention support strategies including:
- Daily precision reading
- Additional 1:1 reading with an adult or volunteer
- Computer based intervention support programmes
Home Reading
Our school maintains a large stock of reading books for children to borrow and take home. These are organised according to different colour bands. The bands link to our school assessments. Staff regularly check and assess children’s ability to ensure the children take home books carefully pitched to their ability level.
For more information on our approach to teaching reading and phonics, please look at our coffee morning timetable for the next available session, join our Friday reading mornings or make an appointment in the school office to speak with our Literacy subject leader.
