Aims
We prioritise reading for our early and developing readers across the whole school: developing in them the knowledge and skills to decode, learn and recognise a growing bank of words. By placing books, texts, and images at the heart of daily school life we continue this development into their fluency and comprehension as they progress through the school, fostering a love of reading for understanding and pleasure. Thus, ensuring that our children leave us as confident, curious and caring, literate individuals able to engage and develop as fully participating members of society.
Reading for Pleasure
We encourage and prioritise reading for pleasure in all classes, through daily opportunities to read independently and listen to text being read. We aim to ensure that all children, regardless of age, ability, or circumstance, have the opportunity to read, enjoy and appreciate a wide variety of literature, including allowing them access to texts they may not necessarily choose for themselves.
To ensure this we have established a core reading spine for each Year Group. Teachers can choose the most appropriate books from this to share and read with their current classes. These books can be found on the Reading Spine Overview. We are investing heavily in the establishment, and embedding, of engaging phonics and reading schemes. These will be the core of the Home/School Reading program running across the whole school. In addition, children will also have the opportunity to choose their own books to read alongside these for their own pleasure.
Early Reading and Phonics
Daily phonics lessons take place throughout EYFS and KS1, we use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised as our systematic synthetic phonics program, accredited by the DFE. We have practice reading sessions each week in Reception and Year 1, where trained staff from across the school support children with reading, using decodable books matched to Little Wandle phonics scheme. Further information for parents can be found by following the link below.
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
Each Year we hold phonic information meetings for Parents in Reception and Year 1 please watch the following presentation to see how we teach phonics and reading in the Early Years and KS1
Children are assessed regularly to ensure there are no gaps in their phonic knowledge and for those who require additional support they have daily 1:1 and small group catch-up sessions. There are also targeted phonic interventions and practice reading sessions for children in KS2 requiring them.
Daily Reading Lessons
Across the whole school (EYFS-Y6), daily reading/ reading lessons take place, aimed at developing skills and knowledge in all 5 reading domains (phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, reading comprehension and fluency). These lessons are linked to the phonics teaching in EYFS -Y2 and children read decodable books matched to Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. There is a transition period in Y2 as children complete the phonics progression of Little Wandle and move towards a greater focus on vocabulary, reading comprehension and fluency, using the Teach Reading resources. Lessons in Y2-Y6 ensure development in these areas through the use of Reading Toolkits (see Teaching Skills above) and exposure to a wide and varied range of literacy types, including the visual literacy of film, documentary and adverts, and oral/aural literacy through the study of songs alongside poetry and rhymes. Reading toolkits are used to develop comprehension skills.
Reading Schemes
The Little Wandle Big Cat Phonics Reading Scheme, is used across the school for children who are still working on phonics. We are currently adapting and developing the existing reading scheme in KS2 to support the implementation of the Home/School Reading program. The existing use of banded books from the Rigby Navigator and Max Scheme is being extended through the introduction of banded books from the OUP Tree Tops series. All books will support the development of reading skills and fluency at the specific level necessary for individual children to progress to reading non- scheme texts (free texts) at the appropriate levels.
Home/School Readers
All children will have a Home/School reading book. These books will be changed weekly but this may be fortnightly where children are reading longer more complex chapter books. The books children are allocated are linked to their phonics and reading progression. They should generally be 95% fluent in reading the book, as the aim for reading at home is to develop fluency and expression. The intention is that all children will read the ‘scheme’ books within the reading band before moving on to non-scheme books readers within the band. Alongside the Home/School reading book, children will also take home a library book of their choice to share at home.
Shared Reading Spine
There is a spine of core books for each Year Group. These are read and shared with classes across the school year. Staff make choices from the spine relevant to their current cohort of children.
Reading Across the Curriculum
There are opportunities within all curriculum areas for children to practice and develop their reading skills and knowledge. Many Reading Lesson texts are specifically linked to curriculum areas and school themes across each term, as are the core Reading Spine texts.
Additional Information
- KS2 Library: We are currently implementing plans to develop a KS2 Library. This is being supported by the fundraising of the PTFA.
- Readers of the Week: A weekly celebration of effort and progress in reading. Children take home the Reader of the Week Suitcase or Backpack together with a book chosen from the school library or Mr Court’s Special Lending Library and a sachet of hot chocolate.
- Paired Class Reading: Classes across the school are paired and children read/share with each other in an informal session. These sessions occur once per half term.
- Author of the Month: KS1 and KS2 have corridor displays highlighting an author and their work. Children are invited to share their knowledge of these by adding speech bubbles to the displays.