Reading

Reading is at the heart of our school.  Our inspiring reading curriculum establishes an appreciation and love of reading. Attractive and engaging reading areas in every classroom bring high quality books alive for children, so that they can immerse themselves in reading.  Through well planned and sequenced lessons, children learn the essential reading knowledge and skills that they need for life.  There are many opportunities for reading throughout the school day which include:

• Individual reading – one adult reading with one child
• Guided reading – one adult reading with a group where everyone has the same book
• Shared reading – one adult reading one big text large enough for everyone to see with a class
• Story time with their teacher

Children are encouraged to read widely and often.  Children have daily opportunities for shared reading. Every child has at least one guided reading session a week and often two or more. Children are expected to read at home: they have a home-school reading diary in which to record their reading, can borrow school books to take home, or read their own. When children need extra support, we provide additional reading in school.

At Carterknowle, we know that children are readers when they read through choice, for pleasure. Research carried out for The Reading Agency has found that there is strong evidence that reading for pleasure can increase empathy, improve relationships with others and improve wellbeing throughout life.  We help and support children to learn the skills they need to achieve this, by having ‘reading for pleasure’ sessions built into our curriculum.  These include, ‘Book Club’ (an opportunity for children to share their favourite books), visiting Ecclesall library, providing books for all the curriculum subjects and having special book events, such as celebrating World Book Day.

‘Reading books is the only out-of-school activity for 16-year-olds that is linked to getting a managerial or professional job in later life,’ University of Oxford 2011

Areas of reading:

Read Write Inc.:

  https://www.ruthmiskin.com/programmes/phonics/about-read-write-inc-phonics/

Read Write Inc. is used by our federated infant school.  Children in Y3, who have come from the infant school and have not passed the check in Y2 are therefore taught using the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme until they can achieve at least 32/40 on the PSC.  The aim is for them to do this by the end of the Y3 Autumn term.  They are taught phonics daily as an additional intervention, so that they are not withdrawn from the classroom reading provision and therefore fall further behind.

Synthetic phonics is learning about sounds and synthesizing them together to make words.  Most children are able to do this well when they start at Carterknowle.  Phonics is taught progressively, in a fun way that everyone can enjoy.  Children are provided with phonetically decodeable books to help them read independently.  Some children with SEND may find learning phonics takes longer.  In these cases, the SENCO will identify the best way to teach phonics.  It may be the continued use of Read Write Inc. Phonics or it may be another approach depending on the specific special educational needs and difficulties.

Read, Write Inc. Spelling

Leaders have identified that Carterknowle children will benefit from one consistent approach to the teaching of spelling.  The Read, Write, Inc. spelling program has been chosen and is taught from Y3 to Y6 to all children.  It is taught daily for 15 mins.  It is adapted to help children who have not secured the spelling from previous years.  In Y3, children who have not passed the phonics check at the end of Y2 and those that have only just passed the phonics check at the end of Y2 will take part in the daily spelling session, but access adapted activities which help them to catch up. 

Developing Readers

The majority of children in Y3 and many in Y4 will still be developing the reading fluency of complex texts, as well as comprehension.  The child’s teacher will choose a book that is linked to a child’s reading development.  This is changed after the weekly group guided reading session with the teacher.  It should be read and practised several times so that it can be read fluently without sounding out.  For children who have not passed the phonics check, this will be a phonically decodable book linked to their phonic development.

Read, Write Inc. Fresh Start https://www.ruthmiskin.com/programmes/fresh-start/about/

Children joining Carteknowle in Years 4, 5 or 6, who are not fluent readers and whose phonics knowledge is not secure, will follow the Read Write Inc ‘Fresh Start’ programme.  This identifies any gaps in knowledge and is taught in small groups until fluency is attained.

Confident Readers

Children with secure phonics knowledge, who are fluent readers, will use the ‘book band’ approach.  They will be supported in choosing from a range of books at a particular stage so that they can read widely and develop their comprehension skills.  By the time children are in upper KS2 they will be moving away from the book band approach and will be learning to make suitable independent choices.

Individual, Guided and Shared Reading

All these approaches are used at Carterknowle to benefit all children.  Shared reading is done as a whole class with high quality texts at a suitable level of challenge for the year group.  Guided Reading is more targeted and closely matched to the needs of small groups.  Individual reading is either done independently or on a 1:1. If 1:1, reading support is identified as needed.  Children in the lowest 20% for reading have 1:1 reading in addition to the group guided reading; children in the lowest 40% have extra reading sessions as required.

Story time

In our story times, teachers read to children and foster a love of a wide range of books.