“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” - Frederick Douglass
Please see the links below that we shared at our phonics and early reading meeting for parents and carers. The videos offer lots of helpful strategies to help you support your child with early reading at home.
https://youtu.be/42jb6PopZCI - what is phonics?
https://youtu.be/UCI2mu7URBc - pronouncing pure sounds
https://youtu.be/vqvqMtSNswo - blending
Here are some top tips for reading with your child at home:
Reading Strategy
We Amaze by speaking knowledgeably and confidently about books we have read and authors we enjoy.
We Achieve by gaining self-esteem of success so that every child is a fluent reader.
We Aspire to equip every child with a true love and passion for reading.
Curriculum Intent
At Harworth Church of England Academy our English curriculum provides every child with the passion and skills to be fully articulate and an excellent reader and writer. Our curriculum ensures that every child has the opportunity to learn and practice their skills through interest and enjoyment. Gaining pleasure from reading is the greatest gift we can give our children. Reading opens up new worlds of discovery, it ensures lifelong learning, it feeds us with beautiful words and ideas, thus deepening our vocabulary to speak and write. Reading is not just for the here and now, it is a skill for life which reaches into every area of the curriculum, making our English curriculum the epicentre of all of our learning. We ensure that our children are exposed to high quality literature which they emulate in their words and writing.
What do we want for our children in this subject?
To gain knowledge of texts, authors, poems so that literature helps them to make links with other subjects and with all aspects of their life. For them to take their learning from Harworth Church of England Academy and use it throughout their whole lives and to pass on a love of words to their families and through the next generations.
How do we cater for pupils with SEND and Disadvantaged?
We ensure that all children are fully involved in all English lessons. Consistent phonics teaching ensures that every child is a reader. All children must achieve RED every day and children with SEND and Disadvantaged are fully supported with ‘additional reading’ and targeted interventions in school.
Introduction
Reading is at the heart of the curriculum at our school. We encourage children to Read Every Day (RED Time) and staff read to children to promote the enjoyment and love of reading. There are reading bays in school that enable the children to take time away from the classroom and enjoy a book. Our school library is used on a daily basis throughout the day for supporting learning and to encourage children to become independent readers.
We have a whole school reading scheme that progresses from Foundation Stage all the way through to Year 6 which is called Big Cat by Collins. We also have Twinkl books to support our Phonics teaching. Both schemes allow children to make connections throughout the curriculum and is extremely successful in developing children's love of reading.
There is also a large selection of both Fiction and Non-Fiction books in our library and class libraries. The book fair visits once a term and the children and parents look forward to it arriving. We celebrate World Book Day every year where children and staff dress up as their favourite book character and are encouraged to bring in their favourite book. We use the community library as often as we can. After our visits we promote library membership by encouraging children to take forms home to complete. We have a whole school reading challenge every year. On World Book Day we will launch our new Rainbow Reading Challenge.
Our Phonics scheme is Twinkl which is based on Letters and Sounds. Phonics is taught daily and children take a phonics screener at the end of Year 1.
Every week we award a child from each class our ‘Reading gives you wings’ award for effort or achievements in reading.
Learning to Read Through Phonics
What is phonics?
Phonics is a way of teaching children to read quickly and skillfully. They are taught how to:
- recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes;
- identify the sounds that different combinations of letters make - such as ‘sh’ or ‘oo’; and
- blend these sounds together from left to right to make a word.
Children can then use this knowledge to ‘de-code’ new words that they hear or see. This is the first important step in learning to read.
Phonics sessions involves 4 parts –
Revisit and review: Children go over previously learnt knowledge – this may be tricky words or sounds or a combination of both.
Teach: Children are taught something new – sound, grapheme, tricky words.
Practice: Children practice the new learning within a word – reading spelling or both.
Apply: Children apply new learning – either by reading or writing or both.
Why phonics?
Research shows that when phonics is taught in a structured way - starting with the easiest sounds and progressing through to the most complex – it is the most effective way of teaching young children to read. It is particularly helpful for children aged 5–7.
Almost all children who receive good teaching of phonics will learn the skills they need to tackle new words. They can then go on to read any kind of text fluently and confidently, and to read for enjoyment.
Children who have been taught phonics also tend to read more accurately than those taught using other methods, such as ‘look and say’. This includes children who find learning to read difficult, for example those who have dyslexia.
If you would like to find out more about phonics, visit
www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/pedagogy/phonics
or search for ‘phonics’ on the Department for Education website at www.education.gov.uk.
Helping your child with phonics
Phonics works best when children are given plenty of encouragement and learn to enjoy reading and books. Parents play a very important part in helping with this.
Some simple steps to help your child learn to read through phonics:
- Teaching how sounds match with letters is likely to start with individual letters such as ‘s’, ‘a’ and ‘t’ and then will move on to two-letter sounds such as ‘ee’, ‘ch’ and ‘ck’.
- With all books, encourage your child to ‘sound out’ unfamiliar words and then blend the sounds together from left to right rather than looking at the pictures to guess. Once your child has read an unfamiliar word you can talk about what it means and help him or her to follow the story.
- Try to make time to read with your child every day. Grandparents and older brothers or sisters can help, too. Encourage your child to blend the sounds all the way through a word.
- Word games like ‘I-spy’ can also be an enjoyable way of teaching children about sounds and letters. You can also encourage your child to read words from your shopping list or road signs to practice phonics.
- Use your child’s reading record to look at what he/she has been reading and make comments yourself on how well they have done.
- Parents and carers are strongly encouraged to be actively involved in their children’s reading routines at all ages by listening to their children read, reading to their children, and by promoting a home environment where books are valued. Parents and carers are asked to complete the reading record and encourage children to read at least three times a week, but daily if possible.
- ENJOY READING TOGETHER! Reading for pleasure is the most important thing. Let your child enjoy reading so that it doesn’t become a chore.
What we do
Foundation Stage Reading Intentions
We equip the children with the knowledge of the alphabet, provide skills in order to decode simple CVC words and provide a base of ‘tricky words’ (those words that cannot be sounded out).
We aspire for every child to develop confidence to read aloud and equip the children with the skills to recognise why text is written in certain ways when reading aloud.
We allow access to a variety of texts from different genres and cultures.
We model the correct way to handle a book carefully, being able to read from left to right and to be able to take care and look after books.
We aspire to begin/further the children’s journey towards a love of books and reading.
Foundation Stage Implementation
In Foundation Stage we lay the foundations for encouraging the disposition of reading. The teaching of reading takes place through, modelled, guided and shared reading sessions.
Children have a daily phonics lesson at 11am using the validated Twinkl Scheme.
Children have a reading book which compliments their learning in phonics. They have a listening book which they can share with an adult for pleasure at home and/or school. These are changed every Tuesday (Choosy Tuesday).
Daily whole class reading to increase enjoyment of reading and explore new vocabulary.
Spellings begin in the Spring term and follow the order of phonics learning.
Quality books are chosen for continuous provision related to topic and learning.
Modelling of reading and how to look after books is used to teach children good reading habits.
Children have a one to one reading session with an adult at least once each week. This is recorded in a reading record which parents are also encouraged to comment in.
Children who need extra input have intervention phonics on a daily or weekly basis according to need. Children are targeted within the provision to work on specific areas such as developing grapheme phoneme correspondences, blending or identifying tricky words.
SEND, Disadvantaged and EAL children have an additional session each week to develop their reading skills. This might involve working on grapheme phoneme correspondences, decoding skills, fluency or comprehension and vocabulary work.
Foundation Stage Reading Impact
We aspire for children have a lifelong love of books.
Children have the confidence to pick up a book and attempt to read it using the text on the page for guidance as well as making it interesting for the listener.
Children will leave Foundation Stage ready to access the KS1 curriculum.
Key Stage 1
Key stage 1 intention
We aim to provide all children with the skills and strategies to read with confidence, fluency and understanding, provide all children with phonological understanding to read words accurately.
We aspire to establish a love of books where children choose to read for pleasure and inspire an interest in words and what they mean to enable children to develop an increasing oral and written vocabulary.
We use a growing technical vocabulary allowing children the opportunities to talk about their reading.
We ensure all children read widely and experience a range of genres in fiction, non-fiction and poetry, and are able to discuss some of the ways in which narratives are constructed.
Children develop critical appreciation of what they read, develop study skills so that the children can select appropriate fiction and non-fiction books from the library; and encourage care and ownership of books.
Key stage 1 implementation
In Key Stage 1 children are taught reading strategies through modelled, shared and guided sessions.
Children have a one to one or guided reading session at least once a week. This is recorded in a reading record which parents are also encouraged to comment in. Guided reading groups start when children have completed Phase 4. Until this point, children have one to one reading sessions.
SEND, Disadvantaged and EAL children have an additional session each week to develop their reading skills. This might involve working on grapheme phoneme correspondences, decoding skills, fluency or comprehension and vocabulary work.
Daily phonics lessons using the validated Twinkl scheme. Children experience a whole class session followed by individual/group teaching as and when required. This includes any catch up or same day intervention required.
Daily whole class reading to increase enjoyment of reading and explore new vocabulary takes place daily. Children experience books being read to them by adults and have opportunities to choose their own books from their class or library to read for pleasure (independently and with peers).
KS1 Reading Impact
To have a lifelong love of books and to leave KS1 with the skills to access the lower KS2 curriculum.
To be able to make amazing connections between the books they have read, their own experiences and the wider world.
To begin the transition from learning to read to reading to learn; and to begin to develop an understanding of their own reading preferences.
Assessment in EYFS and Key Stage 1
Phonics is assessed through weekly spelling tests, marking of children’s written work, children’s reading of their own books, one to one and guided reading, SEN/ Disadvantaged/EAL support sessions.
Teachers assess against the objectives in the back of the children’s reading records e.g. Word reading skills - WR1- Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet.
At the end of level 2 (6 weeks), level 3 (12 weeks) and level 4 (5 weeks) a Twinkl assessment is completed.
For level 5 (30 weeks) and level 6 (30 weeks) a Twinkl assessment is completed every 10 weeks.
The Twinkl assessments assess whether children have secure knowledge of each Level and if they are ready to move onto the next level.
A practice phonics screener is used as an assessment tool at 3 points throughout Year 1 - in Autumn 2, Spring 2 and Summer 1.
The Hertfordshire Reading test is carried out at the end of the year to check on progress for all pupils. Any children who are below their chronological age will have additional reading sessions to close the gap.
NFER tests are completed at the end of each term.
Children who are working significantly behind are assessed using Bsquared.
KS2 Reading Intentions
We provide all children with the skills and strategies to read with confidence, fluency and good understanding and are able to discuss some of the ways in which narratives are constructed.
Develop the habit of reading widely and reading often, for both pleasure and information. Children will experience a range of genres in fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
Encourage care and ownership of books.
Inspire an interest in words and acquire a wide vocabulary and an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading. To use this knowledge in their writing and spoken language to enable children to develop an increasing oral and written vocabulary.
Engage children with a growing technical vocabulary, allowing them the opportunities to talk about their reading.
Develop critical appreciation of what they read.
Develop study skills so that the children can select appropriate fiction and non-fiction books from the library.
Key Stage 2 Implementation
Children in Key Stage 2 have a class text that relates to a topic that they are studying. This text is read to the class and they will become fully immersed in it through lots of different activities.
Children take part in a guided reading session every week where they spend time focusing on a particular text. They will read part of a text and complete different activities such as pre-reading, poetry reading, reading for enjoyment, reading linked to a specific writing focus e.g. newspaper reports or SPAG etc.
The adult led reading session is recorded in a reading record which parents are also encouraged to comment in. This is also recorded in a class reading record.
SEND, Disadvantaged and EAL children have an additional session each week to develop their reading skills. This might involve working on grapheme phoneme correspondences, decoding skills, fluency or comprehension and vocabulary work.
Assessment in Key Stage 2
Reading is assessed through marking of work, children’s reading of their own books, one to one and guided reading, SEN/Disadvantaged/EAL support sessions.
Teachers assess against the objectives in the back of the children’s reading records e.g. R11 – To be able to use quotations from the text to support opinions and make predictions.
For those children who are still developing their phonics skills, they will complete a Twinkl phonics assessment at the end of the level or after every 10 weeks for levels 5 and 6.
The Hertfordshire Reading test is carried out at the end of each term to check on progress for all pupils. Any children who are below their chronological age will have additional reading sessions to close the gap.
NFER tests are completed at the end of each term.
Children who are working significantly behind are assessed using Bsquared.
KS2 Impact
To have a lifelong love of books.
To leave KS2 with the skills necessary to access the KS3 curriculum.
To be able to share their reading ability and skills with an audience.
To become a discerning reader recognising different genres as well as justifying their personal preferences.
To build reading stamina enabling sustained reading for pleasure.
Recommended books
Click here to see the recommended picture books for Autumn 2024 from Inspire Education Library Services
Click here to see the recommended primary books for Autumn 2024 from Inspire Education Library Services
Our English curriculum
We aspire for our children to have a love of books and for reading to
‘Give them wings’.
