English: Reading & Phonics

English: Reading & Phonics

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Children at St John the Baptist should leave us loving reading and regularly reading for pleasure. They enjoy reading a variety of texts and can talk in detail and at length about their reading, favourite authors, books they enjoy and how reading and writing support one another.

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
– Dr. Seuss

Vision

Children at St John the Baptist should leave us loving reading and regularly reading for pleasure. They enjoy reading a variety of texts and can talk in detail and at length about their reading, favourite authors, books they enjoy and how reading and writing support one another. Children have been taught the skills needed to initially decode sounds then words; blend sounds to create words; read sentences, paragraphs moving to whole texts with accuracy and understanding. Reading occurs throughout the curriculum and children transfer their skills across all lessons.

Curriculum

Children are given lots of different reading opportunities throughout the day, including guided reading activities with their class teacher or teaching assistant. Every child will have access to quality engaging texts, levelled in Book Banded colours whilst also being given opportunities to read a variety of genres and text types throughout the week.  Each day, children rotate around a carousel of activities so that at the end of the week, the children will have completed all five different activities: Guided reading with a teacher—Follow up activity with a TA—Free choice reading—SPaG activity based on previous week’s writing SPaG focus and a maths word problem activity, designed to support our children understand vocabulary across the curriculum.

Guided sessions will focus on our three reading priorities: Vocabulary—Inference—Evidence. The children will be heard reading regularly and assessments made frequently. Targeted children are also heard read every day—interventions are designed during regular pupil progress meetings. Reading Journals are used to record SPaG and maths activities in.

The School also uses the SfA (Success for All) reading programme. Children in EYFS learn systematic phonics through the PA Essentials programme (which derives from the Fast Track phonics programme from SfA) then move into Kinder Roots, reading decodable texts and learning comprehension skills. Supported reading encourages the children to learn sight vocabulary and story structure and occurs 4x 15 minute sessions each week. SFA which improves our pupils’ skills, fluency and confidence in all aspects of literacy; raises self-esteem, developed social skills and establishes a culture of co-operative learning. For more information please read the attached SFA Brochure.

From Years 1-6, children are set across the school and take part in four 60 minute SfA lessons straight after Assembly.

In Year 1, children work in SfA’s ‘Roots’: a phonics based scheme, learning to decode texts and practise comprehension skills through decodable texts. They receive daily phonics tuition using the Fast Track phonics programme from SfA. They sit Phonics Screenings Tests in the Summer. Decodable books take the onus out of decoding the text and children are able to explore comprehension skills fully. They also study ‘real books’ alongside phonic readers to promote comprehension skills and groups are small so reading skills and tuition is matched to the ability of the group.

From Year 2 onwards children should move in to the ‘Wings’ scheme. They read real fiction and non-fiction texts and learn how to clarify vocabulary and summarise. Key reading skills are taught. Children also practise their reading skills in the school’s writing programme too. By using real texts the children read in context and learn to love reading widely and regularly. You can view more information Reading Booklets for Parents.

Library

The school library encourages children to choose and select their own books. It is open throughout the school day so that lessons can use the libraries rich and varied resources. Children visit the school library at least weekly with their class to swap, change, discuss and enjoy reading.

Storytime

Children at St John the Baptist are heard read and read to every day. At 3:00pm the whole school stops and stories are read by class teachers. Children and adults engage in a variety of high quality texts from a rich range of authors and illustrators.

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