Reading and Phonics

Reading

At SS John and Monica’s School all pupils are encouraged to become confident, critical and independent readers. They read for a variety of purposes and read for enjoyment, information and interest.

We aim for pupils to be able to:

Understand the features of a book and how it works.
Have an interest in words and their meanings.
Use a range of reading strategies which will help them to read with meaning, fluency, accuracy and expression.
Use appropriate reading strategies to find and interpret information.
Reflect on their reading and offer a personal response to a wide range of texts.
Understand how the format and language changes with different genre.
Use inferential skills to find meaning beyond the literal.
Appreciate the tools of the writer and the techniques used to involve the reader in the text and to build these strategies into their own writing.
Appreciate the work of individual authors, illustrators and publishers.
Read for and with other children and adults in a variety of situations.
Use a range of resources, including classroom materials, the school and public libraries.
Use ICT based reference materials for information.

Shared Reading:

Shared reading is planned for by all class teachers across all age groups and will cover a range of texts and genres. Shared reading opportunities will also take place across all curriculum subjects. Each class has a set of core text for shared whole class reading and guided reading sessions.

In Key Stage 2 each class will read a whole class text each term.
In Key Stage 1 each class will read a whole class text each half term.
In Reception the children will listen to and/or reading at least one story book each day during a timetabled story time.

Guided Reading:

Guided reading sessions for intervention groups take place .

Each class teacher is responsible for planning guided reading sessions for their children. Each guided reading session will have a learning outcome and an assessment focus.

Independent Reading:

In each class there is a reading area with a wide selection of books for independent quiet reading.

We have a well-stocked library and each class is timetabled to visit the library and select a book on a weekly basis.

Home Reading:

All children from Reception to Year 6 are encouraged to read at home. Home reading is part of their homework.

Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 change their home reading books at least once or twice a week and are given two books to share at home with their parents. SEN and children identified as off track in their progress are heard read 1:1 daily in school. All other Key Stage One children are heard read 1:1 at least three times a week.
The children choose their books from a selection of graded reading books; the books are colour banded and use a range of text and genres.
The ‘Home Reading Diary’ is used to record their choice of book and teachers make a positive comment on the child’s progress, parents are encouraged to do the same.
In Key Stage 2 the “Home Reading Diary” continues and teachers give the children opportunity to change their reading books weekly. SEN children and children off track are heard read 1:1 daily in lower key stage two.
Every child in the school has a time tabled lesson once a week in the school Library and have the opportunity to borrow books for reading in class from the Library.
The school purchases a range of ebooks, including Accelerated Reader and Oxford Owl.

Phonics

Children from Reception to Year 2 will follow the 'Essential Letters and Sounds' Phonics Programme. Essential Phonics and Sounds (ELS) is s systematic synthetic Phonics Programme.

This programme

is delivered to the whole class
combines continuous and reactive assessment
provides robust intervention
is rigorous and engaging
supports teachers to ensure the lowest attaining children keep up rather than catch up
provides immediate, in the lesson intervention
provides whole school training and supports Reading and Phonics Leads
incorporates an assessment tracker and analysis dashboard

The programme teaches the children to decode to read words and to encode to spell words.

Teachers assess children and monitor their progress. Teachers will plan progressive work to meet the needs of individual groups of children.

In Key Stage Two the teaching of phonics is linked to the teaching of spelling and each year group has their own phonic programme linked to their spelling and grammar programmes of study.

Children are taught to read phonically irregular words by sight and these words are known as the ‘ Common Exception Words’ All Year groups have a set of Common Exception Words matched to their Year groups programmes of study.