Reading
At Alderman’s Green, we believe that learning to read and enjoying reading is one of the most important skills for children to master. We are determined that every child will become a confident, fluent reader and we achieve this through highly skilled teaching and targeted, rapid intervention when needed alongside immersing children in a language rich environment with a rich curriculum full of carefully selected, high quality books.
We strive to ensure that every child meets the expected standard in reading so that they can fully access each stage of the curriculum. We achieve this by following our routeway through reading:
Early Years
From the very beginning of their time in school children have a language rich provision where rhymes, stories and a love of books is shared and developed. High quality stories and books are carefully planned to progressively build children’s vocabulary, their knowledge of the wider world and a love of rhyme and enjoyment of the written word. Key texts are regularly read so that children build up a bank of known stories and rhymes that they know and enjoy.
Learning to Read
In Nursery, all children learn a Rhyme a week and take part in lots of listening and language activities building up their pre phonics skills.
At Alderman’s Green, we use the Read, Write Inc scheme as our approach to teaching phonics. We ensure that all staff who deliver phonics are trained in this scheme, attend weekly coaching sessions and as a school we regularly take part in development days with National Trainers to ensure that every child is having the highest quality teaching that is faithful to the scheme we have selected. The Reading Leader carefully tracks progress of groups every half term and provides coaching and support where needed to ensure all children are making good progress.
All children in Reception and Key stage 1 follow the Read Write Inc scheme until they are assessed as confident and fluent readers, finishing the scheme and move on to the Triumph Trust Reading Journey. Children are assessed on their phonic knowledge and reading fluency at least every half term to ensure that teaching is precisely targeted, and children make rapid progress thorough the scheme.
In Nursery, children begin to learn the vocabulary linked to the scheme and the key routines. When assessed as being ready in Nursery or as soon as they start in Reception (Week 2) children formally begin the Read Write Inc scheme, learning a sound a day.
All children in Reception have a daily phonics lesson and additional “Pinny Time” minutes which provides frequent practise of the new sound taught throughout the day. Regular retrieval practice of this learning secures the fluency of recall.
In Key Stage 1, children have a daily phonics lesson in targeted small group teaching and in addition have “Pinny Time” minutes and access the Read, Write Inc virtual classroom learning in the afternoon.
Any children continuing to work on the Read, Write Inc scheme in Key Stage 2 have a daily phonics lesson in targeted small group teaching and then have an additional two sessions accessing the virtual classroom through their Showbie account.
Our aim is that all children will pass the Phonics Screening and meet National expectations at the end of each Key Stage. We use targeted intervention with the aim to keep children up to these expected levels. To secure phonics learning, we use the National tutoring programme to provide daily intervention from a specialised phonics teacher alongside precision teach and the read write inc intervention model.
Any children who do not meet the expected standard in the Phonics Screening or at the end of Key Stage 1 are carefully tracked and prioritised for additional reading support. This targeted support is provided by the specialist phonics tutor, class teachers prioritise for additional reading and key members of support staff have been trained to deliver the Fisher family trust lightening squad programme.
Teaching of Reading
Alongside the Read, write inc phonics scheme in Key stage 1 the English curriculum is based on carefully selected books that develop the wider range of reading skills included in the Triumph Trust Reading journey. Every opportunity is used to develop children’s vocabulary through high quality books.
When children finish the Read, Write inc scheme their daily reading lesson is based on the Triumph Trust Reading Journey. This provides a progressive reading curriculum that develops the skills of retrieval, inference, summarising, prediction and understanding word choices. Reading fluency is always a high priority as we aim for children to read fluently and with a strong understanding of what they are reading.
Reading lessons are planned around key texts that support the curriculum and vocabulary development whilst developing the range of reading skills. All teachers follow the Reading learning cycle that moves through direct teaching, guided practice and then independent application of reading skills.
Reading progress is assessed through ongoing formative assessments tracked on Educater. Alongside this, children complete a fluency reading assessment each term to track reading speed. Targeted intervention is provided for any children identified as needing additional support to meet expected standards through precision teach, lightening squad, after school book clubs or additional teacher support.
We explicitly teach vocabulary across the curriculum, tier 3 key vocabulary is planned and taught to children alongside tier 2 words through word of the week to ensure children are confident at reading, talking and understanding a rich range of vocabulary which helps them in their journey to become competent readers.
Engaging and Supporting Parents
We prioritise supporting families to develop home learning environments that promote reading when children start with us in Early Years. We run a Chat, Play Read programme that invites parents into school regularly to listen to a story and complete craft activities with their children. All children take a book home after these sessions so we know that all of our children have their own high quality books in their homes.
We have a planned approach to providing home reading books that allows for phonic and word reading practice alongside developing a love and enjoyment of books.
To support parents to best know how to help their children practice their reading skills we run parent reading sessions in school and through the family learning service, provide advice and guidance at parents evenings and give access to the Read, write inc Virtual classroom.
Home Reading
All children are expected to read at home 5 times a week and have their bookmark signed by someone at home. This is monitored by teachers and any children not reading at home are prioritised and given the opportunity to read in school to ensure they all have the expected level of reading practice.
Reception children take home books that are matched to the phonic sound they are learning in school.
Year 1 and Year 2 children on the phonic scheme take home a book banded book matched to their phonic ability that can be changed daily. Alongside this, once a week they have a Read write inc book bag book and phonic sound practice book that is match ed to the learning in school that week.
Children also take home a reading for pleasure book that they can share with family at home.
From Reception to Year 2 all children have home access to reading eggs that is an online programme that supports phonic sounds practice.
Key stage 2 children on the phonics scheme take home a book banded book matched to their phonic ability that can be changed daily. Alongside this, once a week they have a Read write inc book bag book and phonic sound practice book that is matched to the learning in school that week.
Children also take home a library book matched to their accelerated reader level.
Accelerated Reader
Children have completed the phonics scheme and all children in key stage 2 choose their home reading book matched to their accelerated reader assessment. Children complete a star reader assessment at least every half term to set their reading level band within which they can select books from the library. When they have read the book children complete quizzes that allows the teacher to monitor the range of books being read, the frequency of reading and the level of comprehension of the books being read. Teachers use the reports on accelerated reader to carefully track home reading and provide targeted intervention and support where needed.
Triumph Trust Literary Spine
The Triumph Trust Literary Spine are carefully selected books that all children will read while they are at school. Each year group has books that have been selected to provide a rich diversity of stories for children to have read to them. All children have daily story time where their teacher reads these books to them.
We are committed to all of our children not only being able to read but to develop a love of reading so that they can learn about the world, themselves and the possibilities in life. Here are a range of ways that we promote a love of reading:
Bedtime stories
Children in Early Years and Year 1 are invited back to school in their pyjamas to enjoy some bedtime stories with their teachers.
Rocket Raccoon
Every week 1 child in each class gets to take home Rocket Raccoon with a good book, hot chocolate and a snuggly blanket to enjoy sharing a story with their family.
Book Corners in Classrooms
All classrooms have a book area that supports their curriculum, promotes reading and values a range of books that reflect the rich diversity in our school. We want all of our children to see themselves and the world around them reflected in the range of books we provide in the classroom.
Library and Librarians
We have a large team of junior librarians who run our well stocked library. They support children to choose books as well as promoting a range of authors and books alongside different reading challenges.
World Book Day
As a school we take part in World Book Day every year and use the opportunity to promote new authors and books and take time to focus on reading activities.
Reading Buddies
Each week our Year 6 reading buddies read a book with children in Key stage 1 to share their love of reading.
Myon
All children in Key Stage 2 have access to a wide range of books matched to their reading level that they can access in school and at home.
Books Clubs
All support staff run after school book clubs twice a week where they share their love of reading and books with selected groups of children providing extra reading practice and vocabulary development.
