We know that language and literacy are fundamental to the overall development of our children and their access to the curriculum. We aim to deliver quality teaching of basic and higher order reading, writing, speaking and listening skills to enable our children to become confident and successful in their literacy.

We want children to be able to talk about what they have learned in a knowledgeable and articulate way, using their ‘public voice’. We use a variety of teaching and learning styles to teach literacy skills. We aim to develop children’s ability to listen, speak, read and write for a wide range of purposes, including the communication of their ideas, views and feelings. We do this through daily lessons in which children experience whole-class reading or writing activities, guided group or independent activities, and whole-class sessions to review and assess progress and learning. In all classes, children have a wide range of abilities, and we seek to provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this through a range of strategies. In some lessons, we do it through differentiated group work, while in others we ask children to work from the same starting point before moving on to develop their own ideas. We use support staff to support some children and to enable work to be matched to the needs of individuals. 

• Children use a phonic based reading scheme called Little Wandle Letters and Sounds which is graded according to the level of difficulty of the book. Teachers assess children and give the child the level of book to match their ability.
• Books are graded according to their level of challenge.
• Fluent readers select appropriate reading material from the class library.

Strategies to teach reading

• Reception, Y1 and Y2 children take part in Guided Reading sessions, using phonic based books, every day with an adult leading each group.
• In KS2 children take part in whole class Destination Reader lessons every day with a focus on developing more complex comprehension skills.
• Selected children take part in 1:1 reading lessons using the 10 minutes a day reading programme. These children are selected by their teachers for extra reading help.
• The children take part in 'storytime' every day.

Reading at home

• Children at the early stages of reading Children take 3 phonic based reading scheme books (at an appropriate level assessed by the class teacher) home each week. Two of these books will be familiar to the children as the child has read the book with the teacher or support staff member in class. Every week, children also take home a new book from the class book area or library to share with their parents or carer (sharing book). This book may be one that is too difficult for the child to read alone. This book is for the parent or carer to read to the child and enjoy and discuss. 
• Fluent readers These children take home a novel chosen from a selection of books in their class or from the school library which is appropriate to their reading level. They also take home a book from the class book area or library to share with their parent or carer (sharing book). These books are changed when the child finishes the book and this is monitored by the class teacher.
• In the 'Information for Parents' section you will find a list of good books to read with your child at home.

Phonics

We take a phonetic approach (the sounds letters make) to the teaching of reading. We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds scheme to teach phonics so that reading, writing, handwriting and spelling are integrally linked, modelled and practised every day. These discrete phonic lessons are taught daily in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Children are regularly assessed and then streamed into relevant phases depending on their ability. They learn the shape, name and phoneme for each letter and group of letters in a sequential way. They have daily practice at reading those letter sounds and blending them to read words including the sounds that they have learnt.  The children get success and enjoyment from reading books linked to the sounds that they have been learning that week and these books are part of the home reading diet for the children as well as a book of the child's own choosing that they can share with parents/carers. Children are taught to read words automatically if they are very familiar; decoding them quickly and silently because their sounding and blending routine is now established and to decode them out loud.