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HOW WE TEACH READING

At Glade we want to make sure that the teaching of reading focuses on developing the children’s skills in:

  • Word reading

  • Comprehension (both listening and reading)

 

It is essential that, by the end of their primary education, all pupils can read fluently, and with confidence, so that they are empowered for their future education and for life.  We also want children to develop a love of reading through immersion within a variety of text types.

To ensure the children are skilled readers we:

 

1. Have a whole school systematic phonics programme

Since September 2021 we have been using the government validated systematic synthetic phonics programme (SSP) called ‘Little Wandle: Letters & Sounds Revised’. The programme is designed to teach children to read from Reception to Year 2, using the skill of decoding and blending sounds together to form words. “The Little Wandle programme provides a full progression through all commonly occurring GPCs* (sounds), working from simple to more complex, and taking into account the frequency of their occurrence in the most commonly encountered words.”

Please access the Little Wandle website (link below) to find more information. The 'For parents' section provides videos of how to pronounce the Phase 2 and Phase 3 sounds and how we teach the reading of words.

 

https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/my-letters-and-sounds/

 

2. Send reading books home every day

Nursery

Books for sharing are sent home for families to discuss and share stories to develop a love of reading.

 

In Reception and Year One

Key word lists will be sent home and the children will be given new words as they show that they are secure with the previous ones. Children will be sent home with e-reading books from the Little Wandle Scheme that match the sounds taught. They will also bring books home for sharing with families to create a love of reading.

 

In Year Two

Some children who are still continuing with the Little Wandle Scheme will continue to bring home-reading books based on the scheme that match the sounds the children have learnt. Children who have finished the Little Wandle Scheme and passed their phonics screening check will bring home staged Books from Oxford Reading Tree. These books need to be recorded in a Reading Record and can be changed in school when the book is signed by a parent/carer. Children continue to take home Key Sight Words lists to learn. Some children are Free Readers and might choose a Stage 15/ 16 text (from the class) or may choose a chapter book which interests them. They will also bring home books for sharing with families to create a love of reading.

 

In KS2

KS2 books- when reading up to, and including, Stage 14 children choose from the staged books in the Oxford Reading Scheme- these books go home every day and children are expected to read at home. When they are beyond stage 14, children choose their books from the range in the classroom; they are Free Readers and might choose a Stage 15/ 16 text (from the class) or may choose a chapter book which interests them. Children do not change books unless they show that they have read and understood the current one.

 

3. Set targets for the children’s reading so that they know what they have to do to improve.

 

4. From Year 2-6, guided reading is taught using our whole-class approach. This consists of daily reading lessons, which focuses on a particular reading skill followed by a comprehension lesson, where children have the opportunity to apply the skills learnt that week.

 

5. Clear Intervention procedures for those falling behind.

 

6. Make sure that children regularly share a class reader with their teacher through reading a class book together (one per fortnight in KS1 or one per term in

KS2). These books are shared, discussed and may provide the stimulus for comprehension or writing sessions.


7. Have enticing book corners in all class rooms and a well-stocked library which encourage the children to read. Each class has a library session once a week and the library is also open after school each Monday for children to visit with their parents.

 

9. Daily Guided Reading (a focused reading session in a small group with a member of staff)

 

10. A book-based approach to the English curriculum, which really teaches children to appreciate and understand various texts. This includes knowing the author’s intention, understanding structure and exploring language and word meaning in context - interweaving reading into writing.  

 

11. Children visit our well-stocked school library weekly. We have good links with our local libraries and dip into our resources from Redbridge SLS, to promote reading for pleasure and across the curriculum. Children are also encouraged to take part in the Redbridge libraries’ summer reading challenge.

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