Reading at Dinnington First School
At Dinnington we want children to choose to read and enjoy it both in and out of school. Reading for both pleasure and purpose is important and we encourage parents to support children at all stages of their reading development. Outlined below is our approach to reading:
Aims
In reading we aim for our children to:
- Develop a love of literature and read for pleasure and enjoyment. We believe that active encouragement of reading for pleasure is a core part of every child’s educational entitlement, whatever their background or attainment.
- Read confidently, fluently and with good understanding.
- Be able to express their opinions and justify their preferences about a wide range of quality fiction/non-fiction texts.
- Become readers for life.
Approaches
Approaches to reading include:
- Guided reading
- Independent reading
- Whole class shared reading
- Individual reading
- Phonics
- Wider reading (including class library, school library, trips to local library and class novel)
- Home reading through use of Primary Pathway Records
Phonics
The Letters and Sounds programme is followed throughout school. Nursery children begin the programme with Phase 1 and Reception continues through the subsequent phases. Key Stage 1 children are split into phase groups depending on their individual phonic ability and needs. Children meet in their phase groups daily between 10.15 – 10.30am. Games, activities and tasks linked to phonics are carried out at this time. In Key Stage 2, those children who have successfully completed Phase 4 and above follow the school spelling scheme. These children remain within their class between 10.15-10.30 a.m. and focus on weekly spelling lists. Those children in Year 3 and 4 who are working in Phase 2, 3 and 4, will continue to work within the phonic phase groups (as detailed above) and will have access to Key Stage 2 statutory word lists.
Reading Scheme
In order to ensure breadth and balance within reading we do not rely on any one commercial reading scheme. We have used a range of schemes to develop our own structured scheme which is tailored to the needs and interests of our children.
Schemes used include:
- Bug Club
- All Aboard
- Story Worlds
- Literacy Links
- Story Street
- Upstarts
- Oxford Tree Tops
- Oxford Reading Tree
- Oxford Project X
Literature Works
We are part of the Literature Works Programme which supports us in promoting a reading culture across the school. It aims to develop enthusiastic, independent reflective readers with a life long love of reading. It also enables children to enjoy reading, share their views on what they have read and develop the ability to compare texts and express opinions about them.
Reading in Early Years
In Nursery we follow the Letters and Sounds programme. We listen to a range of stories and bring them alive through props and actions.
Early Years have their own small library where children can choose with their parent/carer a book of their choice.
After Christmas, story sacks are given out on a fortnightly basis where stories can be shared with the family.
In Reception, we continue the Letters and Sounds programme and using songs and actions (mnemonics) from Jolly Phonics we teach letter sounds (phonemes) daily.
As children are becoming secure with their letter sounds and word building they are given words to take home and practice. These words are a combination of High Frequency words, tricky words and those the children will come across in their reading. The children work up a selection of word walls and they are given books from a variety of reading schemes linked to their reading ability.
All children are given a Pathway to Achievement book at the beginning of the year and reading progress is recorded in these at school and at home.
To read the children need to learn how to blend sounds together in order to read a word. They need to be read to regularly and then listened to in a quiet, relaxed environment. They should be encouraged to follow each word with their finger. They need to talk about the book in order to understand the story in full. It should be an enjoyable experience for all.
Reading in Key Stage 1
Children in Key Stage One follow an individual reading scheme (as listed above). Each child has an individual reading book which is read at school and at home. This is tailored to the child’s reading ability and needs. Children in Key Stage One also carry out group reading once a week within class and have access to a class text which is studied as part of Literature Works. Children in Key Stage One enjoy wider reading through books based on the current class topic and other areas of the curriculum. Children in Key Stage One have access to the class library and are given the opportunity for reading for pleasure on a daily basis.
Reading in KS2
Children in Key Stage Two follow an individual reading scheme (as listed above). Each child has an individual reading book which is read at school and at home. This is tailored to the child’s reading ability and needs. When children in Key Stage Two have completed the individual reading scheme, they progress to the author study cupboard, where they choose chapter stories for individual reading. Children in Key Stage Two also carry out group reading once a week within class and have access to a class text which is studied as part of Literature Works. Children in Key Stage Two enjoy wider reading through books based on the current class topic and other areas of the curriculum. Children in Key Stage Two have access to the class library and are given the opportunity for reading for pleasure on a daily basis.
