English: Phonics & Reading
A Whole School Love of Reading
We love reading at Elms Farm. Books feature as part of our assemblies and wider curriculum. We even have a book unit full of books linked to our key values of Ambition, Community and Equality.
Our teachers read texts in class to model prosody and to explore vocabulary. We also have two libraries full of new texts which are regularly updated. Pupils can access the library throughout the school day to borrow books.
Children can also access reading via our virtual library. We are continuing to improve this with teachers reading and books linked to our whole school events,
Phonics
We follow Little Wandle as our only approach to decoding. This is a progressive and consistent approach to Phonics teaching, complimented by catch up programmes to support pupils,
Phonics teaches children the correct letter-sound correspondance which enables them to decode (breakdown) words for reading, and to segment words into sounds for spelling.
We teach whole class Phonics lessons with targeted interventions to support pupils who may require additional revision or support. We complement our Phonics lessons with focused Guided Reading sessions. These sessions are based around books closely matched to pupil phonological ability, meaning that they are 95% decodable. The structure of our lessons can be found below.
Teaching Structures in E.Y.F.S & Key Stage One
Teaching Structure in Key Stage Two
We use a Mastery Approach to whole class reading in Key Stage Two. This aims to develop the reading comprehension and contextual understanding for our pupils.
We have key texts planned throughout the curriculum which connect Reading, Writing and Topic learning to maximise the contexts of the wider curriculum and develop the understanding and use of vocaulary. Pupils experience a wide range of texts through this programme which develops from Nursery up to Year 6.
Home Reading
Children are expected to read at home for a minimum of 3-5 times per week. E.Y.F.S, Key Stage 1 pupils and those in specific intervention groups in Key Stage 2 take home reading books from group reading sessions which are specifically matched to their phonological ability. Key Stage 2 readers take home books from our banded reading scheme.
Staff record home reading daily on a class chart to ensure that they can provide additional reading opportunities with a member of staff in school.
As part of our focus on reading, all of our children have a bespoke Reading Diary. These are purposally designed each yet with a pupil designing the front cover. Reaing Challenges are set throughout in these diaries which on completion, pupils are awarded a 'Remarkable Reading' certificate and a prize from the reading box.
