Reading

 

 

 We want our children to be life-long readers, developing a passion for reading and recognising the rewards reading can bring.  Through sharing a range of diverse and age-appropriate texts with the children, we aim to develop creativity, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the world around them, as well as the opportunity to visit places and meet people they may never otherwise do so. 

We encourage children to read for enjoyment, creating a positive environment and introducing them to a range of genres, including recent releases and timeless classics, to motivate their interest in reading.  Children develop their literacy skills through broadening their vocabulary, fluency and comprehension and building phonemic awareness and decoding skills.  Through discussion, we encourage children to analyse and reflect on texts, developing the skills needed to identify the main ideas, themes and key details.   Children develop a questioning mindset where they feel confident to challenge ideas and explore alternative perspectives.  Reading is used as a way to explore different cultures, perspectives and experiences, with the aim of developing children’s respect for diversity and empathy with others.  Through reading, children can unlock other areas of the curriculum and learn more about the world: past, present and future. 

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From Reception, our curriculum is delivered through systematic synthetic phonics with supporting books that are matched to the children’s phonetic knowledge are taken home. Opportunities to apply phonic knowledge, to read and to enjoy books are carefully planned into the curriculum and continuous provision.  Carefully selected texts engage the children in each enquiry, providing opportunities for discussion as well as being used as a stimulus for writing.  Dedicated story times introduce children to a wide range of texts, both old and new, and encourage children to explore and process what is read to them.  A reading area is developed in the classroom for children to enjoy during school and to select books from to enjoy with their families at home.  

Once children have completed the phonics programme, dedicated reading sessions take a ‘whole class’ approach, where every child engages with the same text. Within these sessions, children have opportunities to develop their fluency, accuracy and prosody in reading, through modelling of reading by the teacher, listening to each other and through practise.  In order to develop comprehension skills, children engage in a range of activities that enable them to react to, process and explore what they have read.  These may include discussion, drama, summarising, word analysis, etc.  Within these sessions, children will have time to learn independently, with a partner and as part of a small group.  Adults will also teach small groups workshops. 

In addition to these sessions, high quality texts are used to enhance our enquiry curriculum, giving children the opportunity to apply what they have learnt about reading successfully. 

When children have not completed the phonics programme, they receive additional teaching, either individually or as part of a small group, in Key Stage 2.  Children who are not reading with the fluency expected of someone their age are given additional opportunities to read, thereby putting in the ‘reading miles.’  Some children may need additional support to access the text used with the whole class.  This may include pre-teaching of vocabulary, hearing the text beforehand, reading a synopsis, access to visual cues, etc. 

All classes have well equipped book corners with age appropriate, exciting texts – both fiction and non-fiction - which the children are encouraged to browse through and select from.  Book corners are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the wealth of new texts being published and the children’s own recommendations. 

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The percentage of our children achieving the expected standard in phonics at the end of Year 1 and reading at the end of Key Stage 2 is consistently above national average but, more importantly, children leave us as confident, enthusiastic readers. 

Through exploring a range of texts during their time at Sussex Road, children have learnt to think critically and construct logical arguments.  They have developed their problem-solving abilities and information-processing skills, enabling them to be successful academically.  Our children have gained insights into different cultures and perspectives as well as developing empathy, respect and social awareness.  Exposure to new worlds, ideas and possibilities encourages our children to dream big and explore their potential.  Making reading a habit from an early age instils a sense of curiosity, encouraging children to question, challenge and explore the world around them.  Reading bridges gaps in knowledge that empowers all, no matter their background, to achieve their fullest potential. 

Through reading, children are not only prepared for academic success, they are equipped with the skills and mindset needed to become compassionate, informed and curious individuals.  This has an impact far beyond the classroom, shaping individuals, the future leaders and changemakers of our world. 

If you visited a reading session at Sussex Road you would see:   

• High quality texts being used, taken from a range of genres and pitched at the higher end of the children’s ability 

• Children and adults reading 

• Children engaging in discussion about what they have read  

• Workshops to support and challenge children with reading  

• Adults using effective modelling and questioning to encourage critical analysis of the text 

• Use of ‘I wonder’ and thinking aloud by adults to prompt in-depth thinking around the text 

• Explicit teaching of vocabulary