Reading Subject Statement
Reading Leader: Mrs C Knowles
When teaching children to read, it is our intent that:
From Early Years, children will be emerged into a language rich curriculum through high quality text which will support and enrich the wider curriculum. Children will have the opportunity to be fluent, confident readers who are able to successfully comprehend and understand a wide range of texts. They will develop a love of reading, a wide knowledge of authors and a deeper curiosity and understanding of the world around them. The wider curriculum is seen as a vessel to learn language which in turn will support the reading fluency for all children. We understand the importance of parents and carers in supporting their children to develop both word reading and comprehension skills, and so we want to encourage a home-school partnership which enables parents and carers to understand how to enhance the skills being taught in school through good quality texts.
The implementation of our reading curriculum
Our children are immersed into a world of reading and books throughout their time at Star Academy. We ensure that children have access to high quality books through reading areas, our library, whole class shared stories and through a range of text which help to drive and underpin the wider curriculum. The children have regular access to fiction, non-fiction and poetry in English lessons as we use the power of the written word to underpin our writing.
Early Years
Alongside the teaching of phonics, children in our Early Years are immersed in books and the language of books. Each topic is taught through a selection of books. These books are read and reread to the children and then added to the reading areas as a book for the children to access through the year. Books are accessible as an area of continuous provision both indoors and outdoors.
KS1
In KS1, the children continue to learn phonics through Song of Sounds phonics scheme and the children continue to be immersed in high quality text. Books are linked through the topics to enrich the wider curriculum and to link children’s experiences. The Literacy Counts scheme guides teachers to use high quality texts in their teaching of writing.
Daily teaching of reading is timetabled throughout the school and questioning techniques are used to deepen comprehension and extend children’s range of vocabulary.
Word aware starters are used in the wider curriculum to further support language acquisition and vocabulary.
KS2
In Key Stage 2, the children continue their learning journey using the Collins Big Cats reading scheme and a choice of free readers from our beautiful library. High quality text continue to be a feature as we progress through school with books enhancing and enriching the wider curriculum.
We actively teach reading through a reciprocal read approach (please see below) and develop comprehension further thorough Cracking Comprehension, a scheme which supports the quality first teaching of explicit reading skills.
Additional vocabulary is taught through Word Aware in the wider curriculum.
Reciprocal Reading
Reciprocal Reading: prediction, clarification of vocabulary, questioning and summary. Working with small groups ensure that there is regular and thorough teacher assessment of reading skills taking place.
Cracking comprehension
Cracking Comprehension is used to support the teaching of specific Content Domains. Children can practice embedding skills developed through Reciprocal reading on a cold text. It allows further diagnostic assessment to take place.
Reading at home
Children are able to access books at home in a variety of ways: scheme book, free choice book, access to e-books through Collins e-books and EPIC, an online library. We ask parents to read with their children on a daily basis and to record this practice in a reading record book.
Assessment
We assess during our teaching sessions using summative assessment-for-learning techniques: assessing knowledge and skills against the relevant objectives during our Reading Squads.
Phonics is assessed half termly to ensure that children are learning at pace.
Book benchmarking takes place regularly, as needed. This ensures that new reading skills are practiced using instructional texts and books sent home are easy and pleasurable.
From Y1-Y6, we also use NTS formative assessment tests at the end of every term. These are analysed to inform next steps through the Rising Stars MARK/ Shine scheme.
Environment
Classrooms and learning areas support and enrich the learning of all children. As well as being rich, vibrant and welcoming, the environment is an important way to engaging children, by promoting a love of reading. All classrooms have a reading area which is pride of place and allows them to peruse books and make choices about their favourite genres and authors.
Working with parents
Parents and family members are vital to, and considered as partners in their children’s learning and progress: we actively encourage their involvement through:
- A reading record book
- Discussions about their child’s reading and current book
- Parent consultations
- Workshops to support the practice and enjoyment of reading at home
Little Wandle is a DfE validated systematic synthetic phonics programme.
Why learning to read is so important:
- Reading is essential for all subject areas and improves life chances.
- Positive attitudes to reading and choosing to read have academic, social and emotional benefits for children.
How children learn to read:
- Phonics is the only route to decoding.
- Learning to say the phonic sounds.
- By blending phonic sounds to read words.
- Increasing the child’s fluency in reading sounds, words and books.
Reading fully decodable books
- Children must read books consistent with their phonic knowledge.
- It is essential not to use other strategies to work out words (including guessing words, deducing meaning from pictures, grammar, context clues or whole word recognition).
- Books must be fully decodable and follow the Little Wandle scheme
- Children need to read books in a progressive sequence until they can decode unfamiliar words confidently.
The role of Parents’ and Carers’
- Have a positive impact on their child’s reading.
- Should model the importance of reading practice to develop fluency.
- Children take home books they have read at school to re-read at home to build fluency.
- There are two different types of books that pupils bring home: reading practice and books to share for pleasure.
- Reading at home encourages a love of books, along with developing vocabulary and discussion.
- Parents should use voices, expression, discuss unfamiliar vocabulary, talk about the pictures, and predict what might happen next.
- Give positive yet informative feedback in the home reading diary at least 3 times a week
Supporting your child with reading
How To Say The Phase 5 Sounds September Year 1
LS Parent Handout Year 1 Phonic Screen
LS Parent Handout Year 1 Sep 24
Support For Parents With Tricky Words Year One
For parents | Letters and Sounds
Please look at the parents area on Little Wandle. You will see videos for how the lessons are taught, how to pronounce the sounds and much more. There is a great section on nursery rhymes. Please click on the link below or scroll down to see helpful video clips.
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/#tabnametabSupportForPhonics
Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can have a huge impact on their reading journey by continuing their practice at home.
There are two types of reading book that your child may bring home:
A reading practice book.
This will be at the correct phonic stage for your child. They should be able to read this fluently and independently.
A sharing book. Your child will not be able to read this on their own. This book is for you both to read and enjoy together.
Reading practice book
This book has been carefully matched to your child’s current reading level. If your child is reading it with little help, please don’t worry that it’s too easy – your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading.
Listen to them read the book. Remember to give them lots of praise – celebrate their success! If they can’t read a word, read it to them. After they have finished, talk about the book together.
Sharing book
In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. The sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together.
Please remember that you shouldn’t expect your child to read this alone. Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun!
Our annual reading evening in September will support you to help your child when reading at home, so please don’t worry if this is new to you.