Early Reading and Phonics
Our vision
Our vision is:
All children in our school will leave as fluent, confident readers with excellent comprehension skills to prepare them for the next stage in their education. We will also nurture a passion for reading, broadening our children’s minds and horizons.
Phonics
We teach phonics systematically using the Read Write Inc Programme.
In the last term of Nursery, children are taught to say the sounds of letters with the help of mnemonics, to blend the sounds into words and read simple ‘blending books’. Read Write Inc then continues into Reception and Key Stage 1 where through regular assessment children are equally grouped to ensure they are supported yet challenged to progress in their reading journey through learning to blend sounds into words.
Supporting the lowest 20% of readers
Across Early Years and Key Stage 1, Read Write Inc coaching ensures that children are caught early and supported to catch up and remain on track.
In Lower Key Stage 2, children are supported in their reading through phonics interventions. Children whose reading age is significantly below ARE (more than 2 years) are placed on our 121 reading programme providing them with the opportunity to further develop their fluency and understanding.
Whole Class Reading
Daily Whole Class Reading sessions develop analytical comprehension skills taught through the domains.
Home reading
Through accurate assessment (Read Write Inc/Star Reader) children take home appropriately matched books for their reading ability. Children are expected to read at least five times a week and record this in their planners. To support children’s comprehension and parental engagement our planners are pre-populated with age-appropriate questions.
Nurturing a love of reading
A regular programme of reading events across the year develops children’s love for reading. Our vibrant library, managed by our student librarians, provides a treasure trove of books for children to broaden their literary horizons. Teachers also share a class read at the end of each day.
Assessment
All children complete the statutory reading assessments (Year 1 Phonics Screening, Key Stage 1 Reading SAT, Key Stage 2 Reading SAT). We also use termly NTS reading assessments to support our children’s confidence in accessing and completing statutory assessments. These assessments are also used by teachers to inform their WCR planning.