We believe that reading is the key to unlocking exciting worlds and powerful knowledge for all.  Reading is the vehicle through which children access many other areas of the curriculum and subsequently can open the door to many other aspects in the wider world.

 

Intent

 

Here at Elston All Saints, we want children to establish an appreciation and love of reading at all stages of their learning journey.  We are committed to sharing high quality and vocabulary rich texts across the curriculum so that children may develop knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live.  We encourage our pupils to discover new information and develop their comprehension skills by reading widely using both fiction and non-fiction texts which (where possible) are linked to their topics across the curriculum.  We are lucky to have a wide range of books in school and class teachers select books to read aloud based on personal choices or suggestions from pupils. We are determined that every child will learn to read, regardless of background, needs or abilities.

 

Implementation

 

KS1

 

Pupils start Read Write Inc. Phonics when they enter Foundation stage.  We group children by their reading progress during RWI sessions.  The sessions last up to one hour per day (20 to 45 minutes in Foundation and 1 hour in KS1).  We reassess the children every half term so we can place them in a group where they will make the most progress.

 

One to one tutoring or small group sessions may be provided for some children.  Staff may also use ‘Pinny time’ to revisit key sounds/words at incidental points throughout the day in Foundation and Key Stage 1.

 

At each stage of the RWI programme fluency and comprehension is checked and key reading skills are developed with the use of questioning and partner practice.

 

What happens when pupils finish the Read Write Inc. Phonics Programme?

 

After completing the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme in Year 2, pupils are specifically taught reading skills as part of the RWI comprehension scheme alongside RWI Spelling.

 

KS2

 

In KS2 children take part in daily whole class guided reading sessions.  They are introduced to a new text every 2 weeks and spend time developing a range of skills from that text.  First the children are given prior knowledge to help them access the content of the text.  Secondly they are introduced to new vocabulary and spend time developing their fluency or reading a set of key words linked to the text.  Then the children complete an echo read with their class teacher which is followed by a timed read with a reading partner.  Each unit then ends with children developing a range of skills to answer a variety of reading comprehension questions: retrieval, inference, summarising, authorial intent, vocabulary choice and predictions.  Once all these skills have been developed and practised, the children have the opportunity to apply them to an unseen text.

 

In order to develop a reading for pleasure culture, children spend time completing reading journals where they record their reading adventures.  They are encouraged to recommend books to others and have the opportunity to choose a wide variety of books.

 

Children who are unable to access the whole class guided reading sessions are given the opportunity to complete the same style of programme in a small group.

 

Pupils who are below the age related expectations in KS2 reading will have small group discrete reading lessons in the form of RWI Fresh Start.  A programme similar in style to RWI phonics but age appropriate texts and vocabulary are read.

 

Timely intervention is planned for those children working below expected levels as soon as their needs are identified.  All children read aloud during phonics or whole class reading and additional 1:1 reading is put in place for SEN, Pupil Premium children and those pupils not reading regularly at home as to work towards closing the literacy gap.

 

Impact

 

Through the teaching of systematic phonics, our aim is for children to become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage 1.  With decoding taught as the prime approach to reading, pupils will become familiar with this strategy and have the confidence to work out unfamiliar words in any new texts they encounter even when they have come to the end of the RWI programme.

 

Pupils will have the opportunity to develop their fluency and comprehension as they move through the school; accessing a range of texts independently.

 

Attainment in reading is measured using statutory assessments such as the end of EYFS ELG’s, Key Stage 1 and 2 SATs and the outcomes in the Year 1 Phonics Screening check.  Additionally, we track our reading attainment through the use of RWI half termly and screening assessments, PIRA reading papers and ongoing teacher assessments.

 

Most importantly, we believe that reading is the key to unlock all learning and so the impact of our reading goes beyond the statutory assessments.  We give all the children the opportunity to enter the amazing new worlds that a book opens up to them and share texts from a range of cultures or genres to inspire them to question or seek out more for themselves.  We want reading to be the golden thread running through a child’s journey at Elston.  When they leave us, we want pupils to possess the reading skills and love of literature which will help them to enjoy and access any aspects of learning they encounter in the future.