Reading

The LaunchPad

Phonics are practised and reviewed every day. 

Flashcards of tricky words are practised every day. 

Those children ready for reading activities have individual time at least once a week.

Years 1, 2 and 3

Children are streamed into phonic groups that meet every day to review and learn new sounds. Weekly spellings are linked to their sounds. 

Tricky words are practised regularly using flashcards and games.

Children are heard reading at least once a week, more often when possible. 

Many opportunities for extra reading are taken advantage of, for example supervisors hear readers, some older children will hear younger readers and there are often opportunities to read out loud to the class. 

All reading will focus on targeted questioning to ensure children understand what they are reading. 

During the week children are also given the opportunity to change their reading books independently if they have finished them. 

Each class may also have set times for books to be changed at least twice a week.

Years 4, 5 and 6

Children are given independent time each day for quiet reading. 

Children are heard at least once a week, which in the older classes may be as part of their whole class reading and study of a text. 

When books are finished staff monitor the changing of books checking regularly which level children are on.

Weekly phonics and spellings continue to support word building and decoding skills. 

Comprehension work becomes more focused to ensure all readers are demonstrating an understanding of what they read

You can support this by:

- Hearing your child read for 10 minutes each day and recording this in their reading record if they have one.

- Finding examples of the sounds they are covering within the book.

- When practising spellings ask them to say or write out a sentence using that particular word. 

- Discuss the stories with them, what is happening in the picture? What might happen next?

- When books are finished, ask the children if they can briefly explain the story to you.

- Reading a story to your child/ren each evening. This will have huge benefits in developing a love of books and stories. 

Your support with reading is greatly appreciated. Please reach out to class teachers if you need further clarification on what is happening with your child. Please also remember that staff work hard to ensure children are reading as often as possible during the week but things can change and interrupt routines. If this happens the most important person to speak to is your class teacher.