1
Reading Policy
“Reading feeds pupils’ imagination and opens up a treasure-house of wonder and joy for curious young minds.” English National Curriculum 2014
Aims
To develop happy, healthy and curious learners who read confidently and independently
To begin to develop lifelong enjoyment and pleasure in reading
To enable children to access all areas of the curriculum
To enable children to access, understand and begin to manage information
To begin to understand the meaning of what is read to them and what they read
To begin to respond to what they read; to say whether they like or don’t like it and why
To begin to understand and respond to the feelings that words can arouse in us like happiness, sadness, anger
To begin to understand that this experience allows us to make connections with other people
To walk through doors to the past, to the future, and to other worlds both real and imagined
As a community of readers we expect all adults to model and communicate their love of reading. These are just some of the ways we can share this:
Story time
Shared reading
Guided reading
Library
Reading with individual children
In the Foundation Stage the teaching of reading is based within the area of Literacy but underpinned by the Prime Areas in The Early Years Outcomes and the Statutory Framework for Early Years Foundation Stage.
In Key Stage 1 (year 1 and 2) the teaching of reading is based on the National Curriculum for English.
In line with guidance from the National Curriculum we look at Word Reading and Comprehension, both listening and reading.
Word reading skills and strategies
All children are assessed in phonics and are then placed in the appropriate group so that they can progress and apply their knowledge.
Every day each child will be engaged in
- An interactive multisensory phonics session based on the Letters and sounds Programme
- Shared reading and/or writing led by the teacher to demonstrate reading and writing strategies (including phonics) in a meaningful way
- Speaking, listening, reading and writing activities which allow them to explore and practice their phonic knowledge, blending and segmenting skills independently
- The teaching of ‘common exception words.’ (Words that cannot be completely sounded out)
- A rich and regular ‘Read aloud’ programme (story time)
Shared reading
The teacher models the reading process and the children are actively involved; listening to the text being read aloud, joining in and following the reading, and contributing to discussion and response. Children learn how to apply the knowledge and skills they are acquiring in daily word level work. The teacher leads discussion about the text to help children develop their understanding. Children learn how to interpret and make sense of what they read.
Guided or group reading
A skilled adult works with small groups of children who are able to read at a similar level. The adult scaffolds the learning by guiding children through the text and prompting them to apply what they’ve learnt in shared reading and other literacy activities.
Range
Pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through the following ranges
Literature:
Stories & poems with familiar settings and those based on imaginary or fantasy worlds
Stories, plays & poems by significant children’s authors
Retellings of traditional folk & fairy stories
Stories & poems from a range of cultures
Stories, plays & poems with patterned & predictable language
Stories & poems which are challenging, in terms of length and vocabulary
Texts where the use of language benefits from being read aloud and reread
Non-fiction and non-literary texts:
Print & ICT-based information texts
Dictionaries, encyclopaedias & other reference materials
Texts
Interactive white board resources; software and websites
Reading books grouped into ‘book bands’; Using phonically decodable books mainly from Project X.
Guided readers – stored in the library
Library books organised into fiction and non-fiction
Class library books
Assessment & Planning-for learning (formative)
- Success criteria clear and explicit
- Observation of children
- Questioning (using questions linked to assessment focus during guided reading)
- Self assessment
- Discussing with a partner
- Verbal feedback from adult linked to success criteria
-of learning (summative) will be recorded in
- Pupil Progress meetings (half termly)
- Reading records (whenever children change books)
- Guided reading record sheets
- Tracking for phonic skills and through book bands (half termly)
Children with SEN, and/or learning difficulties or disabilities will work towards the same objectives with support. Those working well below the level of their peers will be working on a related objective from an earlier year group.
Children who are gifted and talented will be working to deepen or broaden their understanding of the objective which may sometimes be from a later year.
Children learning English as an additional language (EAL) will receive appropriate support to enable them to achieve their potential.
When a child did not pass the Year 1 phonics check these children will work with a small group completing the Fast Track Phonics programme. They may also have opportunities to consolidate learning 1:1 with an additional adult.
Reading for pleasure
We celebrate World Book Day and have held storytelling days, author visits, and stories told in other languages and from other cultures. The library is open to parents and children after school.
We recognise that children make better progress when they are supported at home and when there is good communication between child-school-home.
We communicate with parents by:
Home school reading diaries
Reception intake meetings
Phonics workshops
Booklets
Class pages on the school website
Appendix 1:
Book Bands – Phonic Phases
Band / Colour / Letters & Sounds Phase1 / Pink / Phase 2
2 / Red / Phase 3
3 / Yellow / Phase 3
4 / Blue / Phase 4
5 / Green / Phase 5
6 / Orange / Phase 5
7 / Turquoise / Phase 6
8 / Purple / Phase 6
9 / Gold / Phase 6
10 / White / Phase 6
11 / Lime / Phase 6
Appendix 2
By the end of the Foundation Stage most children:
Read and understand simple sentences.
Use phonic knowledge to decode regular words and read them aloud accurately.
Read some common irregular words.
Demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what they have read.
By the end of Key Stage 1 most children:
Apply reading skills to familiar and new texts
Apply phonic knowledge and skills
Read and remember high frequency words
Read aloud books closely matched to improving phonic knowledge
Sequencing and discussing the main events in stories
Retelling a story using words and phrases from a text
Recognise use of repetitive language within a text
Discuss how specific information is organised within a non-fiction text
Give opinions and supporting with reasons (who is the bad character and why?)
Make inferences about characters and events using evidence from the text
Recognise simple recurring literary language in stories
Discuss favourite words and phrases
Predict what might happen next on the basis of what has been read so far
Discussing and clarifying the meaning of new words
Use tone and intonation when reading aloud (record a version of the story)
Sequence and discuss the main events in stories
Identifying, discussing and collect favourite words and phrases
Discuss how information is arranged in a non-fiction text
Identify, discuss and collect favourite words and phrases
Make inferences about a text
Consider other points of view
Read longer and less familiar texts independently
Use tone and intonation when reading aloud
Make personal reading choices and explain reasons for choices