Reading and Phonics
Reading
Reading is a fundamental skill for our children. The curriculum is designed to enable children to develop their reading skills. All lessons across the curriculum should incorporate elements of reading. Teachers plan their English lessons based upon high quality challenging texts and novels, most of which link to the termly topics the children are studying.
Whole class reading sessions are introduced at the end of Year 2 (when children are ready for these) and continue in Years 3 to 6. This allows children to continue to develop their reading skills and exposes them to increasingly complex extracts and complete texts. The structure of our week's reading lessons can be viewed by clicking on the image below.
Our class reads in KS2 are shared using a programme called Just Read. These books are pitched just above the level of the highest readers in the class and they address aspects of the plagues of the reader.
Individual reading takes place regularly at our school, with the children who are less confident with reading receiving individual reading sessions daily. All children have access to our well stocked school library. This allows them the freedom to make text choices related to their own interests.
Phonics
Throughout EYFS and KS1, Phonics is taught using the Read Write Inc. Programme.
The programme follows a clear structure so that every day, children are learning about the sounds letters make, how to read (blending and segmenting words), spelling patterns, reading fluency and comprehension. Children are grouped and taught at the right pace and level for them.
This programme prepares the children for their phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. We continue to teach in this way until teachers decide their children are ready to move on to a more detailed reading approach (during Year 2).
In KS2 we use the Read Write Inc. Fresh Start programme for pupils who would benefit from phonetic reinforcement.