Reading
Early reading in school
Phonics Scheme
At Baildon Church of England School, we follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds revised programme. It is a complete systematic synthetic phonics programme (SSP) which supports children with early reading and prepares children to go beyond the expectations of the Phonics Screening check which takes place in Year One. Through our phonics programme we hope to support children to continue to grow a love of reading.
Children are taught to read letters by saying the sound they represent. Children will begin blending the sounds they learn together to read a word. They will be taught to segment words into each of the sounds to aid with the spelling of a word.
Phonics in Nursery
The children in Nursery begin with Foundations for Phonics. This consists of, but is not limited to, listening games, sound hunts, instrument games and body percussion. Once children are able to hear the sounds in words the children are taught a sound a week and are modelled oral blending skills. This is usually around the spring and summer term.
Phonics in Reception
The Little Wandle Letters and Sounds phonics programme is taught daily in Reception. It is taught in sessions of 20-30 minutes and then supplemented with further interventions and practise throughout the day. Phonics is then applied across the curriculum and opportunities to apply within provision. Phonics teaching begins with Phase 2 sounds, where the children explore initial graphemes and phonemes. They will move onto Phase 3 in the Spring term, exploring vowel digraphs and then Phase 4 in the summer term, looking at CCVC and CVCC words. Children are regularly assessed and will be provided with keep-up sessions, where needed.
Phonics in Year One
Little Wandle Letters and Sounds is also taught daily in Year One. It is taught in sessions of 20-30 minutes and then supplemented with further interventions and practise throughout the day. Children are also offered pre-school phonics booster sessions. Children in Year One will begin with recapping all previous taught sounds before moving onto Phase Five. This Phase explores the alternative spellings and pronunciation of the phonemes taught. This will prepare the children for the Phonics Screening Check which takes place in the Summer term.
Phonics Beyond Year One
Once children move into Year Two, it is expected they will have moved beyond relying on phonics to read and will use other reading skills to develop their reading. Therefore, Year Two staff teach the skills needed using the Year Two phonics and spelling programme of study in the National Curriculum. Any children who still need support with phonics will have daily phonics sessions until they are secure with their phonic knowledge.
Reading Scheme
When children begin to learn to read we use a range of books which supplement and support out Little Wandle Letters and Sounds programme. Children will read books which are appropriately matched to their current reading level. These books are a range of Big Cat letters and Sounds and Rising Stars. Children will bring home these reading books to practise their reading at home. These books are to help them read fluently and independently.
They will also bring home a library book to share at home. These books are for you to read with your child. In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. This book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together.
Please remember that you shouldn’t expect your child to read this alone. Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun!
Accelerated Reader
Reading engagement, fluency and comprehension is a whole school priority and is evident throughout the phased teaching approach of English. All children from Year 2 to Year 6 have access to Accelerated Reader - an evidence-informed online computer program which aims to motivate students to increase their reading and vocabulary comprehension, prompting them to take a short quiz after each book they finish reading. There is a proven link between strong reading skills and academic success; great readers make great learners!
Children use Accelerated Reader alongside books from school, the public library, home libraries and book stores. At school, teachers support children in taking a ‘STAR’ reading age test every half term. These tests assess pupils’ reading skills and identify the ZPD level that they should read at for optimal development (Zone of Proximal Development). Questions continually adjust to children's responses, making the difficulty easier or harder where appropriate.
Children then choose an Accelerated Reader book based on their interest and the reading ZPD level they have been assigned. Book levels represent the difficulty of the text. The levels range from 0.2 up to 13.5. Each child is given a range of books to read from (for example 2.5 to 2.9) to challenge them without causing frustration or loss of motivation. We support and encourage children to read with a high degree of comprehension and within the given range. When they finish reading their book, they take a short Accelerated Reader quiz to assess comprehension and earn points, which are celebrated with initiatives throughout the year.
With their individual profiles, children can rate and review books they have read and over time the platform builds up a picture of their reading profile, tailoring their recommendations accordingly. Teachers have access to a wealth of data to demonstrate who is reading, how often, and the texts they have chosen.
Presentation
Book Recommendations
Useful Website Links to Support Reading
