Reading

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We are passionate about our multi-modal approach to reading. We know that different children will learn to read in different ways and that it is vitally important that every child learns to read. If a child struggles for too long, then they will find it harder and harder to access all the wonderful things we do at school. Reading is a window into the world!

This is how we do it:

On paper: We try to use paper texts (and especially books) as much as we can. We do sometimes dip into online resources but we know that children learn best when reading from paper resources. 

Phonics: We use Floppy Phonics to help our children learn to read at the start of their schooling. Floppy Phonics is one of the DfE's validated, systematic synthetic phonics programmes. 

Text in the Mantle - reading for a purpose: As the children become more adept at reading, we make sure written texts are used as part of lots of our teaching. For example, children may need to get information from a printed email to find out what their commission is. 

Books in the Mantle - to enrich and add depth: We seek to enrich our learning in the Mantle by using books - both fiction and non-fiction, to be key resources in the learning journey. For example, Town is by the Sea, when learning about mining, or The Great Stink, when learning about Victorian London and pollution. 

A book-based Mantle: Sometimes a book forms the backbone of a Mantle, such as The Magic Faraway Tree, or Stig of the Dump. 

SATS practice: Towards the end of KS2 we also teach skills out of context. This means that the teacher will plan a series of lessons whereby children pick up the specific skills to be able to navigate formal reading comprehension tests that they will meet in KS2 SATS. 

One-to-one reading: We listen to children read, one to one, as much as we possibly can. This continues into KS2. 

Whole school events: We will often use certain books to be the at the heart of a whole school event. For example, we had a 'Pumpkin Day' in autumn 2023, based around the book, Pumpkin Soup. Books are often shared in whole school gatherings. 

Class books: Adults read to their classes a lot! We believe this is really important. In Year 3 and 4 in particular, the children listen to a novel, talk about it, and review it, over a series of weeks. 

Interventions: If a child needs additional support, because learning to read is harder for them, then we have a range of carefully chosen interventions that help them make progress. In particular, we use Sound Foundations resources, and the SNIP intervention.