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St James Primary School

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Seven Aspects of Reading

How do we prioritise reading?

  • Each class has a reading area with a range of stories and non-fiction texts; these are rotated regularly to encourage children to access a range of texts, to match current learning; and to follow children’s interests – books can also be found around the classroom.
  • Each class has a collection of books as a mini library, selected from our reading spine with a range of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. 
  • As a school we choose high quality texts to enrich language. 
  • To encourage reading at home each child has a reading record which we use to monitor home reading, we can provide extra provision in school if needed. 
  • Whole class guided reading sessions take place every week in KS2, using high quality texts, skills taught include: reading accuracy, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
  • Small guided reading sessions take place each week in KS1 using the Monster Phonics fully decodable books. In the Summer term of Year 2 the class moves towards whole class guided reading.
  • In EYFS and KS1 children are heard individually to read at least once a week. KS2 pupils who are not reading frequently at home are also heard individually to read at school.
  • Reading is celebrated throughout the year, including World Book Day. 
  • Monster Phonics is followed to teach phonics in EYFS and KS1; it is taught five days a week. 
  • Pupils who are learning phonics take home three-types of books a week: a Monster Phonics fully decodable book; a book taken from a range of books, including, Collins’ Big Cat and Oxford Reading Tree to read and share with an adult – linked to phonics phases; and a library book taken from our 100-reading spine as a book to share for pleasure as part of their reading books. 
  • Pupils on the reading scheme and those who have progressed to ‘free’ reading continue to be given support in what books to choose as their individual reading book.

How do we promote a love of reading?

  • All staff share their favourite books with the school community. 
  • Daily story and poetry time promotes a love and enjoyment of a range of stories. 
  • Our learning opportunities incorporate a range of fiction and non-fiction to expose pupils to different texts they may enjoy. 
  • Guided reading sessions allow time for pupils to discuss their reading, helping them to make sense of what they have read. 
  • Children are encouraged to share their love of reading; inviting them to recommend great reads to their peers. During our weekly Celebration assembly pupils and staff are invited to share recent book reviews.
  • Our reading spine books for EYFS & KS1; and KS2 are promoted within each class, including our website. 
  • In EYFS recommended books to support learning is shared with parents each half-term.  
  • Our Library leaders (Year 6 children) curate a library of books for our outdoor Reading Shed which is accessible during play and lunchtimes.

How do we make sure pupils make progress?

  • Daily phonics is taught in KS1 and Early Years (including Nursery) following the Monster Phonics (SSP) progression of sounds and HFWs. Sessions follow the same sequence of review, teach, practise, revise. 
  • Assessment takes place regularly to identify gaps in learning – this informs future planning and intervention. 
  • The school supports pupils to be expert readers by developing the key skills of clarifying, questioning, explaining, retrieval, summarising and predicting. 

Clarifying: understanding and explaining what we have read including new vocabulary. 

Questioning: ensuring we understand and checking others do too.  

Explaining: developing an understanding of inference and deduction. 

Retrieval: using and finding evidence in the text. 

Summarising and sequencing: identifying the main points of the text by recapping prior reading, scanning, and using key words. 

Predicting: Using the knowledge of what we have read to make predictions about forthcoming events or actions in a story. 

  • Creating opportunities for children to read and re-read books that match the phonics stage taught. 
  • There is a clear progression of reading skills from Nursery to Year 6 against which children’s’ progress is measured, and gaps are noted and acted on. 
  • Children who require further opportunity to practise reading because they do not read at home, are given priority to read to an adult in school. 
  • We assist parents with supporting reading at home by videos on the school website (September 2023) hosting a reading and phonics information meeting, information is also available on the school’s website. 

Monster Phonics also provide video support for parents which we direct them to during our information meetings: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/monster-phonics-19791043283 

How do we match the pupils’ reading books to their phonics ability?

  • Children learning phonics in EYFS and KS1 follow a sequential order of books from our phonics scheme Monster Phonics; assessment informs which books match the pupil’s phonic ability. 
  • Once children reach the end of Monster Phonics Stage 10 they will move to two books: a banded book and a library book. 
  • Supplementing the Monster Phonic books children also take home a range of books from our previous Oxford Reading Tree scheme, these are banded to sit alongside the stages of phonics -Phase 2; Phase 3; Phase 4 and Phase 5; we monitor progress in reading and then match their ability to the stage of reading on the scheme, these are known as sharing books. 
  • Once children reach the end of Phase 5 they revert to colour banded books (Turquoise-Lime/Black). 
  • When pupils are confident readers, they become ‘free’ readers; staff monitor the books chosen by ‘free readers’ to check the books are suitably challenging for them. 
  • Staff in EYFS and KS1 are responsible for changing and or checking the pupil’s reading books. 
  • Guided reading books are also selected carefully to challenge the reading of different groups of pupils in school.  

How do we teach phonics from the start?

  • Phonics teaching begins when children start at our school, commencing with Phase 1 and the pre-skills required to ensure a smooth transition to learning letter sounds in our nursery class.
  • Children begin learning letter sounds within Reception’s first half-term. Following the Monster Phonics system children are immersed in a directed teaching approach which embeds systematic phonics skills as the core skills for reading. Sounds are taught in a specific order, and regular formative assessment informs future planning and interventions. 
  • To support the phonics learning in school, pupils in Early Years and Key Stage 1 take home phonics activities that match the sounds they have learnt each week. Children also take-home flashcards of the newly taught High Frequency Words that week. 
  • Additionally, within the first half-term of Reception, children complete baseline assessments in communication, language, and literacy to support and identify speech, language, and communication needs. 

How do we support pupils to catch up?

  • Effective formative assessment is used to quickly identify children who are struggling or who have misunderstood the learning, this will help them to keep pace with the teaching and allow them to reach end of year expectations.
  • We use 3 key elements during the phonics teaching to enable successful formative assessment: know the learning and being organised, adapting teaching (planning, use of support staff and differentiation) and observing and responding to need.
  • Early identification of children at risk of falling behind, together with an effective intervention programme is used to ensure that every child learns to read and write.
  • Rapid same day interventions take place for those children identified using effective formative assessment, these are either delivered 1-to-1 or in small groups.
  • Our learning environments support the phonics teaching allowing the children time for daily repeated practice. trained
  • During the phonics teaching programme we undertake formative reading assessments, which assess both the ability to blend and read previously taught graphemes and HFWs. These take place twice a term (usually mid and end point). Children are assessed 1-to-1 using an online platform (Phonics Tracker) which matches the Monster Phonics programme. The lowest 20% of pupils are identified and targeted support/intervention is given, this includes daily readers within Early Years and KS1.
  • Following the twice termly assessments using Phonics Tracker parents are informed on the sounds and HFWs which have been identified as not fully embedded, enabling support from home to be impactful.
  • Summative assessment data is submitted once a term and pupil progress analysis is taken from this and discussed with SLT at regular pupil progress meetings.
  • Those pupils who did not achieve their Year 1 phonics check receive vigorous interventions over the next year ahead of retakes in Year 2.
  • Where progress becomes a concern, our SENCO is approached for advice and parents contacted.
  • Phonics teaching is continued in KS2 with those children identified as not reading automatically and accurately, this is delivered in small groups by trained staff daily.
  • Our KS2 spelling programme also now follows on from Monster Phonics and helps to support a smooth transition from the programme the children are confident in.
  • Additional KS2 intervention programmes, identified for use by our SENCO include: Language for All, 5 min box and Inference Training.

 How do we train staff to be reading experts?

  • All teaching staff receive phonics and decodable-reading training as and when required.