Reading
The All Saints’ Way…
Working together as a TEAM
Taking Risks – children who show courageous determination in their learning
Encouraging Learning – children being curious in their learning
Achieving Goals – children having the desire to be the best that they can be
Making Memories – in a school where children are respectful, show kindness and experience joyfulness!
The Lord says "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you" (Psalm 32 v8). This psalm gives us strength and courage in our convictions as curriculum designers
Reading in the Early Years
At All Saints’ C of E Primary, we promote early reading at every opportunity both indoors and outdoors. We believe it underpins children’s natural curiosity of storytelling and enjoyment of books. Within every area of the classroom, we have carefully planned exciting and engaging texts that support prior knowledge as well as exposure to new skills.
We plan carefully for reading throughout our continuous provision, enabling early sound recognition throughout.
In Reception, we teach individual phonemes for both reading and writing during our daily phonics session. In addition, we share a love of reading with high quality texts and traditional stories, songs, poems and rhymes through the Poetry Basket. Through Tales Toolkit, children in EYFS also develop their Communication and Language skills by learning how to structure their stories leading into writing.
Reading Curriculum Intent
Reading is at the heart of our curriculum as a fundamental life skill that impacts on all aspects of learning. There is particular emphasis based upon ensuring no child is left behind in their reading journey. Our ambition is for more children to become Greater Depth readers.
We want every child in All Saints’ C of E Primary School to develop a courageous determination to be curious in their learning and to be encouraged to love reading for knowledge as well as for their own pleasure. Our goal is to have all our children grow into enthusiastic and motivated readers who are confident to talk about their choices of authors and genres. We teach our children to be inquisitive readers and to take risks with their choices, provoking thought and focussed discussion. We not only want our children to learn to read; we also want them to read to learn.
Reading Implementation
Reading, early language and phonics skills are prioritised. There is a sharp focus on the reading curriculum, which is planned to develop children’s love and enjoyment of reading, developing their decoding skills, fluency and comprehension. Comprehension skills are explicitly taught with ample opportunity for children to predict, infer, discuss the effect on the reader and make links.
Staff use Focus English to guide our sequencing and progression in applying phonics, reading for pleasure, accuracy, fluency and understanding.
Phonics, using the Read Write Inc resource, and the practice of reading are tightly linked. The staff regularly read to children in a way that excites and engages them, introducing new ideas, concepts and vocabulary. Explicit links to phonics are made throughout the curriculum so that children know more and remember more.
All our children are exposed to progressive, high quality texts across a range of genres. We use imaginative and creative lessons in order to ignite children’s passion for reading throughout a range of teaching styles such as DEAL strategies (Drama Engagement & Active Learning), role play and classroom discussion. We use two quality approaches which emphasise reading into writing (Jane Considine and Read to Write units of work) both of which have a progressive, sequential approach using high quality and engaging texts. We also use Shared Reading and Guided Reading at different points throughout the school.
In Key Stage 1 and Early Years, we place great importance on the teaching of phonics. During the daily lesson, children will revisit previous learning, learn new skills, practise and apply their knowledge in an engaging and stimulating environment.
All our children have daily opportunities to read a variety of books in school, including regularly with an adult. Each classroom has a class reading area and all children can access rich texts across the room throughout the day. Our resources are enhanced by using the Cheshire Library Service. We also have a school library which each class visits regularly.
Children take books home to read. This may be a book to improve their reading skills or it may be a book to read for pleasure. At the start of their reading journey, all children will be given a decodable book, specifically matched to the phonics level they are working at as well as regularly being offered a book to share at home for pleasure.
We regularly base our teaching and learning on relevant DfE documents and research completed by the Education Endowment Foundation.
Impact
As a result of our curriculum and our constant push for reading for pleasure, our school is full of enthusiastic readers who understood what they have read and are confident when showcasing their skills.
