Learning & Development
Reading
At Red Lane Primary School, reading is our priority.
Our ambition is that ALL children leave school able to read.
We believe that proficient reading skills are fundamental for academic success across all subjects and that reading proficiency among disadvantaged pupils serves as a cornerstone for unlocking future success and breaking the cycle of poverty. Whether it's comprehending complex texts in science and mathematics or analysing literature and historical documents, the ability to read fluently and critically is indispensable. Proficient reading skills enhance communication abilities, enabling individuals to express themselves effectively, advocate for their needs, and engage meaningfully in society. In a rapidly evolving global landscape where information is abundant, the capacity to critically evaluate and synthesise information from diverse sources is invaluable for making informed decisions and participating in civic life.
Reading fosters a lifelong love for learning and curiosity about the world. Children who develop strong reading habits early on are more likely to continue seeking knowledge and expanding their horizons throughout their lives. This thirst for learning opens doors to various opportunities, from higher education to career advancement, empowering disadvantaged pupils to overcome socio-economic barriers and realise their full potential.
As soon as the children start in EYFS, reading is a focus. From sharing stories, rhymes and teaching vocabulary, books are a part of the daily routine. In nursery, the development of oral blending prepares children well for their phonic journey in Reception. In phonics, we follow the Read Write Inc programme, which is a systematic and consistent approach to phonics. Teaching of phonics starts immediately and all children in Reception, Key Stage One and where necessary, Key Stage Two have daily Read, Write Inc phonics sessions. Phonics Sessions are delivered using RWI consistent delivery practice. Timely intervention is planned for those children who are working below expected levels as soon as their needs are identified.
Early reading is crucial to all children and we place a huge amount of importance on this, including supporting children with SEND to develop this skill. We liaise closely with the SEND team to support all children. This includes small groups and interventions which ensure children with identified SEND make progress with early reading. In supporting pupils with SEND, we know and ensure that phonics is the strategy to be used as pupils need to understand the alphabetic code.
Our reading curriculum is planned using the National Curriculum to ensure there is a clear skills and knowledge progression. Skills and knowledge are built on year-by-year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. Texts are chosen to promote cultural capital; supporting children to develop the necessary knowledge, behaviours, skills and cultural awareness to be successful in society today and in the future. There are also planned opportunities to read across the wider curriculum.
Reading for pleasure is actively encouraged across the school. Each day, children are read to by the class teacher, or sometime a guest reader. Each year, we aim to invite in authors or writers to celebrate Reading with the children, run workshops and staff CPD. Our most recent author was poet Ian Bland, who ran poetry sessions tailored for each year group and engaged with the children excitingly.
Reading at home is strongly encouraged and celebrated. All children working on the Read Write Inc. programme take home the book they have read in their phonics session as well as a ‘book bag book’ which matches directly to their phonics level and is linked to the text they are reading in their phonic sessions. Pupils also choose an additional book to share with their family at home. This is a high quality book from the library and ensures all children have access to a quality text that parents can share with them.
Upon completion of phonics, children's reading is assessed using a ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development), which is used to identify appropriately matched books for each pupil. Reading Plus is used to assess pupils and give them a ZPD range, pupils can choose a book from the class library which includes a variety of books covering all the ZPDs of children in the class. Class libraries are updated half- termly, coinciding with the children completing a Reading Plus assessment.
Phonics instruction plays a critical role in teaching children how to read by helping them understand the relationship between letters and sounds. This systematic approach to decoding words is essential for developing strong literacy skills and lays the foundation for proficient reading and spelling abilities. The importance of phonics can be highlighted in several key ways:
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Decoding Skills: Phonics instruction equips children with the tools to decode unfamiliar words by sounding them out based on their letter-sound correspondences. This empowers them to tackle new words independently and enhances their reading fluency.
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Spelling Proficiency: Understanding phonics principles enables children to apply their knowledge of letter-sound relationships when spelling words. By recognising patterns and rules, they can spell words accurately and develop confidence in their written expression.
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Vocabulary Expansion: Phonics instruction helps children expand their vocabulary as they learn to decode and understand the meanings of new words. By breaking words down into their constituent sounds, children can more easily recognise familiar word parts and derive meaning from context.
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Reading Comprehension: Proficient decoding skills facilitated by phonics instruction are crucial for comprehension. When children can read words accurately and effortlessly, they can focus more attention on understanding the meaning of the text, making connections, and drawing inferences.
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Early Literacy Success: Phonics instruction is particularly beneficial during the early stages of reading development, providing a strong foundation upon which more advanced literacy skills can be built. Research indicates that children who receive systematic phonics instruction demonstrate greater reading success compared to those who do not.
At Red Lane we follow Read, Write, Inc phonics. Our daily, high quality phonics teaching ensures pupils progress in decoding so that they blend individual sounds to read unfamiliar words accurately and read familiar words automatically. The use of decodable texts ensures that when reading independently pupils are able to blend individual sounds to read unfamiliar words accurately and read familiar words automatically. Pupils who are falling behind are swiftly identified and supported to catch up. Those at risk of falling behind are supported to ‘keep up’. This is through additional phonics sessions and 1:1 coaching following the same systematic phonics scheme. Children take home 2 reading books which match their phonic stage. In addition, pupils take home a third book which is beyond their reading level and is to support enjoyment for reading by ensuring high -quality texts in the home.
We are committed to providing high quality phonic sessions through weekly staff coaching sessions as well as half termly engagement with Read, Write, Inc development days.