Reading Intent
At Holy Redeemer we recognise the importance of reading across the whole curriculum and the impact it has on the future success of our pupils.
The majority of our literacy lessons are planned around a high quality text as a hook. These texts are sometimes linked to class topics and can be a novel or a picture book. The texts are selected to engage our pupils in reading and to ensure that the process of reading into writing is effective and progressive. Therefore, the texts chosen in each year group are progressively difficult.
Through the systematic teaching of phonics (using the Little Wondle scheme) we aim for our pupils to become fluent readers by the end of KS1. Those who are not, receive targeted intervention.
By providing the pupils with many varied opportunities to read for pleasure and information - timetabled slots in class for guided reading and independent reading; an adult reading a class book to them; lunchtime and after school book clubs and older pupils sharing books with younger ones – they develop their own love of favourite genres and authors and the ability to review their books objectively.
We are aware of the vital role parents play in developing early reading and in maintaining progress as the pupils get older. Parents are invited in to the early years’ classes to share books with their children and to borrow books to read at home. Parental engagement is encouraged and valued throughout the school: reading records; targeted parents are supported; meet the teacher meetings; parents’ evenings; homework; book fair; Top Tips for Parents leaflet.
We provide numerous opportunities for our pupils to read aloud in public: assemblies, church, productions, poetry competition, wider community events. We believe this develops their confidence, expression and fluency.
Reading at Holy Redeemer according to our pupils
Reading is fun: Books make us laugh, cry and calm us down; reading helps us to grow in confidence and to concentrate on our learning. When we read we can escape into another world or learn lots of interesting new facts. Reading is important because the more we read, the better our writing becomes. We are better learners when we read. We like to read all the time.
Reading Implementation
The majority of our literacy lessons are planned around a high quality text as a hook. These texts are sometimes linked to class topics and can be a novel or a picture book. The texts are selected to engage our pupils in reading and to ensure that the process of reading into writing is effective and progressive. Therefore, the texts chosen in each year group are progressively difficult.
We have a systematic programme for the teaching of early reading. Our reading scheme is devised from several sources, principally Little Wandle, Dandelion Launchers and Readers, Oxford Reading Tree and Songbird Phonics; These are supplemented by a variety of other texts. The books are organised into book bands, to ensure that pupils are accessing texts appropriate to their reading level. Each pupil has an individual reading record so that teachers can monitor home reading and pupils are encouraged to read at home daily, through a range of reward schemes. For those pupils who find reading at home difficult, extra opportunities are provided to read individually to an adult in school. In addition to the class teacher and assistant, we have very competent volunteers, from the parish, who hear pupils read and also read to them each week.
To teach phonics, we use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds. Phonics lessons take place daily in EYFS and Y1. In Y2, Phase 5 is recapped in Autumn and Y2 then follow the spelling programme, with intervention from the Letters and Sounds programme, for those pupils who do not have a secure grasp of Phase 5. There is a strong emphasis on application across all the lessons and each lesson begins with revisiting previous learning.
Parents are invited in to the early years’ classes to share books with their children and to borrow books to read at home. Parental engagement is encouraged and valued: reading records; targeted parents are supported; meet the teacher meetings; parents’ evenings; homework; book fair; Tapestry (EYFS)
We provide pupils with many varied opportunities to read for pleasure and information: timetabled slots in class for guided reading and independent reading; an adult reading a class book to them; lunchtime book club and older pupils sharing books with younger ones. Through these opportunities, they develop their own love of favourite genres and authors and the ability to review their books objectively.
To encourage enjoyment in reading, our pupils participate in events such as World book day, library visits, workshops, book fairs and super learning days.
Reading Impact
Impact is judged by the progress pupils make in reading across the school and in their attitudes to it. Monitoring takes place in the form of: individual reading records, ongoing formative assessment, pupil voice and discussions in whole class and guided reading sessions, summative assessments which provide tracking data (NFER/ SATs papers) and teacher assessments. SATs results are also analysed and whole school development target areas set from this. These factors ensure that we are able to maintain extremely high standards, with achievement at the end of KS2 consistently well above the national average.
Our high quality texts often drive other areas of the curriculum, which enhances their relevance and supports pupils to make links between different areas of their learning.
We know that we are successful in our intent that all our pupils value the importance of reading and enjoy it because this is what they say: Books make us laugh, cry and calm us down; reading helps us to grow in confidence and to concentrate on our learning. When we read we can escape into another world or learn lots of interesting new facts. Reading is important because the more we read, the better our writing becomes. We are better learners when we read. We like to read all the time. (Pupil Voice)