Reading
Intent
At Little Kingshill Combined School we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. We endeavour to inspire all children to read and write by delivering an engaging an exciting curriculum and to have the skills to communicate their ideas and emotions effectively. By providing high quality teaching, with teachers showing enthusiasm and passion for English, we can prepare our pupils for transition into secondary school and wider life by becoming successful writers, readers and communicators. We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where children take pride in their writing and reading.
The aim for the children is to develop reading skills that support them to write clearly and accurately and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. Within our curriculum, we cover a range of topics including current national and international focuses, such as the environment, women’s rights and black history because as educators, we feel it is important to make children aware of the world around them.
With a school ethos centred around a love and enjoyment for reading, we encourage the children to show this within their writing through modelling how to use language and vocabulary in our own writing. Through our English curriculum, we strive to teach children how important their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills will be in the real world. By giving this context to their learning, the children understand the value of English to them now, and in their futures.
Implementation
The systematic teaching of phonics has a high priority throughout Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. We use a synthetic phonics programme called ‘Bug Club Phonics’. Our staff teach learners the relationship between sounds and the written spelling patterns, or graphemes, which represent them. All children in Reception, KS1 and, where necessary, KS2 have daily phonics sessions where they participate in speaking, listening, spelling and reading activities that are matched to their current needs.
The teachers draw upon observations and continuous assessment to ensure children are stretched and challenged and to identify children who may need additional support. Timely intervention is planned for those children who are working below expected levels as soon as their needs are identified.
We recognise that systematic, high quality phonics teaching is essential, but additional skills and opportunities are needed for children to achieve the goal of being a well-rounded reader, namely comprehension. When children have completed the Bug Club phonics programme, reading is developed during guided reading, using high quality texts and focused skill teaching.
All children in Reception and KS1 read daily during phonics and during guided reading in KS2. Children who have been identified as needing more support are read with daily.
Children have the opportunity to read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts in the library and in the classroom. The library is open at playtime, lunchtime and after school to enable parents to share books with children.
To encourage children to read a variety of books, each year group has a set of ‘superstar’ reader books which offers children texts appropriate for their age. When children have read all of the books they become ‘Reading Ambassadors’ for the school.
As talk and stories is critical for language comprehension, all children are read to daily and children may access the school library on a daily basis. To further develop talk, all teachers understand the importance of back and forth talking which underpins the conversations in each classroom.
In order to provide high quality teaching to our children, we provide many opportunities for staff CPD including a whole school membership to the National college, Phonics and reading courses, CLPE courses on the power for reading and regular opportunities to share good practise and moderate children’s work.
Impact
By providing a quality English curriculum, we ensure children develop a love of reading, writing and discussion. Our children are creative and enthusiastic readers and writers. They are engaged and thoughtful in lessons and show that they are prepared for the transition into secondary school and wider life by demonstrating their communications skills to share their ideas, thoughts and emotions. When children leave our school in year 6, they are able to show their ability to write effectively by adapting their writing for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. Children enjoy English lessons and relish in opportunities to share their imaginative ideas and skills, such as during whole school writing challenges.
For reading, assessment also occurs during daily lesson, as part of our verbal feedback policy where teachers are able to identify children that need more support or challenge. Children still accessing the Bug Club Phonics scheme are assessed through the use of online games at the end of each unit. At the end of each term, children undertake an in-depth assessment that ensures the children have reached key competencies and identify areas that may need intervention.
When children have finished the Bug Club Phonics Scheme, they are assessed during guided reading sessions and with PM Benchmarking. This uses a combination of running records and comprehension questions to establish the level of the reader.
Through establishing high attainment levels in English, children are more equipped to access other subjects within the primary curriculum. Cross curricular writing standards have improved and skills taught in English lessons are transferred into other subjects. Children are showing an understanding of how and when to use specific writing techniques including a range of grammar and punctuation.
At Little Kingshill Combined School, we feel confident that as children move on, they have confidence in their own ability and feel well equipped for the rest of their education. Most importantly, we believe children leave with enthusiasm and enjoyment for writing and reading.