Our approach to reading and phonics.

Fundamental to our approach to sharing reading from the earliest stages of Reception is the emphasis that books are fun and fascinating. We want children to do their best and become independent readers with a love of reading. Reading is encouraged in all classes through class reading books, individual reading books ranging from decodable books to free-readers books, and reading for pleasure books that the children choose to borrow and can either be read independently, with support or by an adult at home. Reading lessons in Key Stage One and Key Stage Two follow the Ready Steady Read scheme.

Phonic reading skills in Reception and Key Stage One are taught using the systematic synthetic phonics programme Read, Write, Inc. This programme engages the children and builds confidence with reading and spelling. It teaches children the 44 pure letter sounds and their matching spellings, alongside blending sounds together to create words. The decodable storybooks are tailored to each child's level, and support growing fluency, prosody and comprehension skills. By the time the children enter Key Stage Two they are confident readers who can talk about what they have read and answer questions thoughtfully.

In Reception and Key Stage One we use the Read Write Inc. Book Bag books as home readers. The children take home the book which matches the book they are reading in class. This book will be changed once the class book is changed. In addition to this book, they will choose a reading for pleasure book, this book is likely to be one that an adult will share with them at home, supporting the child's vocabulary breadth and comprehension skills as well as promoting joy and independent choice with reading.  

Once the children are confident readers in Key Stage 2 we use a range of popular texts to excite and engage our children to become lifelong readers. 

We encourage children to read at home every day and communication between home and school is recorded in children's reading diaries.