Phonics and Reading

Reading at Woodseaves

At Woodseaves we value reading in all areas of our curriculum, a joy for reading is fostered in each and every classroom. We actively discuss books with the children and often add to our book corners in the classroom based on children’s recommendations and requests.

Phonics and Early Reading Policy

Working with Parents

Reception

Daily phonics using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to plan and provide daily engaging phonics lessons. In phonics, we teach children that the letters of the alphabet represent a different sound, that these can be used in a variety of combinations and are put together to make words. The children learn to recognise all of the different sounds and combinations that they might see when they are reading or writing. Our phonics teaching follows a very specific sequence and programme that ensures children continually build on their phonic knowledge, and we model phonetic decoding strategies throughout the curriculum. We teach decoding, prosody and comprehension through the LW scheme and Big Cat Collins books

Reading

Reading books are allocated using an ebook library system. These books are phonetically matched to the child’s point in the phonic teaching sequence so that they are fully decodable by the child. When a book is allocated on the ebook library a child will have read this book in school three times with an adult. In addition to this, children are able to choose a reading for pleasure book from our class or school library which is to be read with an adult at home to encourage a love of reading.

There is a fully accessible reading area in the Reception classroom for children to enjoy carefully selected texts to share with their peers and adults in the classroom.

Every day in Reception children are read to by an adult, discuss books and have access to books linked to different areas of the provision.

Key Stage One

Children follow the progression within Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme with daily phonics teaching. Once a child has completed the phonics programme successfully children continue to develop their fluency and comprehension using books within our reading scheme. An understanding of reading is taught in a range of ways, including through focused teaching sessions which enable children to deconstruct texts and through drawing on features of high quality texts used as a writing stimulus.

Reading books are allocated using an ebook library system for children following the Little Wandle scheme. These books are phonetically matched to the child’s point in the phonic teaching sequence so that they are fully decodable by the child, when a book is allocated on the ebook library a child will have read this book in school three times with an adult. In addition to this, children are able to choose a reading for pleasure book from our class or school library which is to be read by an adult at home to encourage a love of reading. Children who have completed Phase 5 of Little Wandle are moved onto our school reading scheme to further embed their phonetic knowledge and their fluency.

Each day the children experience shared reading and being read to, this may include being read the 'poem of the week', an adult reading the class novel, a sharing of global news to reflect on and discuss or participating in 'book club' where children and adults discuss books and make recommendations to each other.

Key Stage Two

Access to daily phonics teaching if required through Rapid Catch Up via the Little Wandle scheme for children in Key Stage 2.

An understanding of reading is taught in a range of ways, including through focused teaching sessions which enable children to deconstruct texts and through drawing on features of high quality texts used as a writing stimulus.

Each classroom has a reading area which is stocked with recommended reads as well as texts related to past and current learning units and other books by authors they have read in class.

Children take home a book matched to their reading ability and age (identified through reading age assessments) and read regularly to an adult in school.