Reading is the gateway to learning. It is undoubtedly one of the most fundamental skills that children gain in Primary School as it gives them access to a new world of learning and imagination. If children cannot read effectively, they cannot access the wider curriculum and cannot be successful local and global citizens of the future. Consequently, the teaching of reading and development of positive attitudes to reading is our highest priority as a school.
At Trekenner children begin their reading learning journey from their very first day in reception. Children learn fundamental sounds through engaging with the Read Write Inc Phonics programme- a systematic and effective programme designed to teach them to learn and apply key phonic skills. From their very first week, children will begin reading whole texts with books specifically targeted towards the sounds they are taught. This means that from the very beginning of their learning journey, they experience success. Children continue this programme throughout Key Stage One until they are confident in all of the key sounds and able to apply them to read texts effectively. More details on the Read Write Inc programme can be found on the Oxford Owl Website Parent guide to Read Write Inc. Phonics | Oxford Owl
Reception and Key Stage One children begin taking books home during their first term at school. They have two books. Their Read Write Inc book which is specifically targeted to their phonic level and allows them to consolidate sounds they learn in school. They have this book for three days and are encouraged to read it three times during this period. By the third time, they are fluent, confident and successful. This develops their self-esteem and confidence within reading. Their second book is their "parent share" book. We believe in developing children's love of reading from their earliest days at school and as such we allow them to select books from our extensive library to take home and explore with their families.
Once children have completed the Read Write Inc programme they move onto Accelerated Reader. This system comprehensively assesses children's ability across key areas of reading and allocates a reading range called a Zone of Proximal Development. This range allows children to read books which are pitched at the optimum level to ensure they are challenged appropriately and able to make good progress. The system also allows children to quiz on text supporting them to develop their reading accuracy and retrieval skills. Our children love this programme and enjoy collecting words towards the coveted Millionaire Reader Award.
In addition to Accelerated Reader, children in Key Stage Two have a daily reading lesson. Three of these lessons are related to specific reading skills. Skills are modelled to the children and they are given opportunities to consolidate and apply these skills to a range of texts. The fourth lesson is a novel study session where children engage as a class to discuss and explore high quality texts such as The Land of Neverbelieve, War Horse and the Hobbit. The fifth session is a reading for pleasure session.
Alongside this, children across the school are given access to high quality stories and texts through English units- which are structured around a core text and regular story time to support them to develop their love of reading. We also have regular reading themed days and activities including fabulous World Book Day celebrations, visits from Authors, Wild Reading Challenges and much more.
The documents below give more detail as to our approach to the teaching of reading.
