At Altmore Infant School we believe that Reading is an essential life skill that enables children to develop their learning across the wider curriculum and lays the foundations for academic success.
We recognise the importance of taking a consistent whole school approach to the teaching of reading in order to close any gaps and to target the highest possible number of children attaining the expected standard or higher
We have high expectations of all children and we encourage children to challenge themselves, persevere and always pursue success. We have a close working relationship with our nearby library and participate in the Winter and Summer Reading Challenge. We are pleased and very proud to announce that Altmore Infant School was the winner for the Summer Reading Challenge for September 2023. We look forward to what the Winter Reading Challenge might bring ?!?
In EYFS & KS1, English lessons and Reading are taught through our bespoke units of work designed around a CLPE core text (wherever possible) each term. These units of work are designed by our teachers and aim to include:
- introducing a text
- making predictions about a text
- walking through a text
- reading a text and exploring the text in great detail
- role playing scenes from a text, focussing on using the story language and story vocabulary ordering the sequence of events
- taking part in comprehension/reciprocal reading lessons gamification to support vocabulary
- poetry at the beginning of each term (where applicable) to support the generating of ideas and vocabulary.
Please see our Yearly Curriculum Maps to see our termly core texts.
As well as our bespoke planning around English children also have the following opportunities to read:
- Daily phonic sessions
- Story times
- Bug Club access
- Library Visits including the Summer and Winter Reading Challenge
- Author Visits
- Sponsored books from The London Children’s Book Project
- Our Famous Reading Cafes
Phonics
Daily phonics in Nursery
Phonics teaching in Nursery focuses on the key ‘Pre-reading skills’ and building blocks needed for future phonics learning. Skills such as the ability to listen, talk about and hear the difference between sounds in the environment, instrumental sounds and voice sounds, alliteration, rhyme, rhythm and oral blending & segmenting. We teach these skills using a range of games, songs, rhymes, activities and resources, while keeping it as fun and interactive as possible.
Daily phonics in Reception and KS1
Children in Reception and KS1 take part in daily phonic sessions following the RWI phonic programme. They have the opportunity to progressive learn sounds as they work their way through the scheme.
Read Write Inc GPC order
Read Write Inc starts with children learning:
Speed Sounds Set 1: m a s d t i n p g o c k u b f e l h r j v y w z x sh th ch qu ng nk
Then progressing to Set 2 sounds:
Speed Sounds Set 2: ay ee igh ow oo oo ar or air ir ou oy
Then progressing to Set 3 sounds:
Speed Sounds Set 3: ea oi a-e i-e o-e u-e aw are ur er ow ai oa ew ire ear ure
Decodable books
Children in Reception are taught in small groups based on their developing phonological knowledge. Children start by practising sound recognition, oral blending and then reading words made up of sounds that they know. Children have the opportunity to read decodable books after they have started to blend sounds together in order to read words.
Children in KS1 (and advanced readers in Reception) have the opportunity to read decodable books in each phonic lesson. These books are simple books written for children at the beginning of their reading journey and contain specific grapheme -phoneme correspondence that children have previously learnt. Decodable books encourage children to sound words out using the decoding strategies they have learnt in phonics lessons. Read Write Inc have a range of different coloured decodable books linked to where children have been assessed. Decodable books linked to the RWI scheme start with blending books, ditties, red, green, purple, pink, orange, yellow, blue and grey books. This is the progression throughout the phonics programme.
All children take decodable texts home which are also matched to the books they read in school, this provides them with ample opportunity to practise the sounds they have learnt, gives children opportunities to practise reading at their level and gives children the opportunity to apply their decoding skills taught in phonics lessons whilst reading.
Phonic Assessments
Phonics assessments are completed every half term (every 6 weeks) and this determines:
· How much progress children have made
· If any children have stayed the same or possibly regressed
· Interventions that are needed
· Which set each child will be in for the next 6 weeks, and
· Which decodable books children will take home.
Reading Interventions
Using an assessment tracker based on the RWI programme, all children’s phonic assessments are tracked to determine how much progress they have made and which set they need to go to next.
Using the phonic tracker, children who are not making sufficient progress or have regressed are clearly identifiable. Using this information, we provide specific interventions or further support to children in the form of:
- working with lowest 20%
- children who are not responding to phonics
- precision teaching in groups
Comprehension Focus groups
Once children have successfully completed the RWI phonics programme they move from a word reading focus to a comprehension focus:
NC States:
The programmes of study for reading at key stages 1 and 2 consist of 2 dimensions:
- Word reading
- Comprehension
It is essential that teaching focuses on developing children’s competence in both dimensions; different kinds of teaching are needed for each.
In these sessions, children will start off with reading a small amount of text and then focussing on the following Reading skills:
- Prediction
- Retrieval
- Inferencing
- Summarising
- Skimming and scanning
These sessions also focuses on developing children’s reading fluency, where they will be provided with opportunities to:
- read with accuracy (reading words correctly)
- automaticity (reading words at an appropriate speed without great effort)
- prosody (appropriate stress and intonation).
In these comprehension sessions, children will also have the opportunities to:
- have texts read to them by an adult / good model of reading
- read in a group (choral reading)
- read in pairs
- read independently
- Focus on new vocabulary / unfamiliar words
- Answering different types of questions.
Useful Websites
Oxford Owl
Book Trust
Sheila’s Phonics Playlist
Monkey Pen
Bug Club
Love reading 4 kids
50 Recommended Reads for Reception
50 Recommended Reads for Year 1
50 Recommended Reads for Year 2
Enrichment
We consider enrichment activities to be an important part of our children’s learning, providing children with stimulating and engaging practical experiences that support the curriculum and create a love for learning. Throughout the school year, children take part in a variety of enrichment activities. These include: visitors in school, visits from authors, educational visits, competitions, performances and celebrating our ‘Altmore Achievers’ in a weekly assembly.
Inspiring a love of learning in the resilient and confident leaders of tomorrow.