At Swinton Queen Primary, reading is a priority across our curriculum. It is our intention that every child will be a confident and fluent reader. From the start of their journey with us our children are supported in developing a love of reading through high quality, engaging texts. Through a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics, they are provided with the key skills they need to decode books confidently. Across school we intend to expose our children to a rich and varied range of texts through class reading and novel studies.
Early Reading
Foundation Stage
In our EYFS, topics are introduced with a good quality storybook or non – fiction text. Literacy Tree texts and adapted planning are also used in Foundation Stage Two.
We inform our parents of the texts at the start of each half term and then weekly as they are introduced. Children in FS1 and FS2 choose a’ love of reading’ book each week and EYFS staff spend time with the children choosing their book and share the book with them. We also ensure that our parents have received information about sharing books with their children and they are also invited to phonics and reading drop ins. Storytime happens each day in FS2 and at the end of each session in FS1. This is protected time and allows children to listen to a book being read for pleasure/ enjoyment. Staff ensure that they read high quality texts which may be chosen by the children.
There is a great importance placed on pre-phonic knowledge such as songs and rhymes. A rhyme of the week is planned and taught to the children in Foundation Stage 1 and 2. In Foundation Stage One, staff use Little Wandle Rhyme Time planning and activities to teach children pre-phonic skills such as alliteration and rhyme. This is taught daily. Rhymes and suggested activities are shared with parents.
From entry into FS1 and FS2, our children are taught phonics through the use of the Little Wandle Phonics programme. Children with gaps in their phonic knowledge access daily phonics interventions. The children have guided reading sessions 3 days each week and individual reading each day for children who need further support. These sessions enable children to learn the key building blocks for early reading. Every child will be given a book which coincides with the phonic level they are currently working at.
Key Stage 1
As in EYFS, children in KS1 follow the Little Wandle phonic programme. All children access daily phonic sessions and children who need support have phonic interventions in the afternoon. Reading practice sessions occur four afternoons a week following the decoding, prosody and comprehension structure. These sessions are with a teacher or a highly trained teaching assistant or HLTA.
At the end of Year 1, children will take the national phonics screening assessment. Children will progress to Whole Class Reading sessions once they have completed the Little Wandle Phonics programme which is expected to be on entry into Year 2. Phonic support may also continue into Lower KS2 for any children who need further support.
Whole Class Reading
From Years 2-6, children in our school access Whole Class Reading. Over our two-year cycle, children will read a variety of high quality texts each half term. These books have been chosen for a number of reasons such as having a high level of engagement due to plot, cultural capital and ambitious vocabulary. These reading sessions promote a deeper thinking around a text and develop reading skills through looking at:
Plot
Characters
Settings
Themes.
Reading sessions follow this format:
Monday - Reading of a book/chapter. This is followed by a summarising activity to gauge understanding and then children look at 8/10 key words and discuss the meaning of the vocabulary.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (and Friday in KS1) - Children are looking closely at extracts from their novel study. Children are taught to develop their deeper thinking by analysing these and looking at why the author has chosen keywords. All questions posed to the children will be around the 4 key points mentioned above.
Friday (KS2) - Children will look at an alternative but linked text to ensure that they are also developing their reading skills in other areas such as non-fiction or poetry.
The whole class reading sessions are inclusive and children of all abilities will be supported in their reading journey. To support children, they may be given scaffolds to support them in answering a question, or pre-reads to ensure that they are familiar with a text prior to reading it. Any additional interventions needed in reading will occur outside of this session.
Class Story
We believe that designated class story time is essential in developing our children’s love of reading. We ensure that children are involved in the process of choosing their class stories and teachers are skilled in knowing which books will interest our children. Story time happens every day across our school, usually at the end of the school day. Our aim is to engage children and develop their imaginations through hearing a rich range of wonderful stories.
Credits:
Created with images by LubosHouska - "books bookstore book" • Foundry - "library books education" • WokinghamLibraries - "picture books subject"