Reading

How we support pupils to acquire this learning (implementation):

Learning to read is one of the most important things a child will ever learn. At Nanaksar primary we want our pupils to develop a real love of reading and to want to read for themselves. This is why we work hard to make sure pupils develop a love of books as well as simply learning to read.

Our pupils learn to read accurately and fluently through daily phonics in Reception and Year 1, following the programme, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. They read regularly to adults through Reading Practice sessions using Big Cat Collins’ decodable books and continue to develop their confidence in reading through repeated practice of the books at home. These reading sessions are designed to support children develop their fluency, prosody and comprehension. Children are also exposed to daily phonics, story time, focused story time reading sessions and opportunities for additional reading/phonics throughout the school day. 

At Nanaksar our pupils study a book, related to their half-term topic, which are more challenging than those which they might not be able to read independently. They will use this book as the basis for reading, writing, oracy tasks and links to foundation subjects. Year groups also have link texts to support their understanding of key themes and explore vocabulary further. 

Pupils are encouraged to read widely, through our use of differing class texts, recommended reads, library books, high-quality texts and home reading practice books. Our classrooms and school reflect a literature-rich environment and we ensure reading takes place throughout the curriculum.  

Pupils read for pleasure and develop a life-long love of reading through practices such as: Extreme Reading, celebrating World Book Day, visiting the local library, book fairs and regular reading workshops and parent sessions.

How we measure achievements (impact):

As we believe that reading is key to all learning, the impact of our reading curriculum goes above and beyond. Pupils have the opportunity to enter the wide and varied magical worlds that reading opens up to them. By using engaging texts in English lessons and in learning across the curriculum, pupils are exposed to a range of genres and styles. By creating reading rich environments and celebrations across the school year, we want pupils to see that we are all readers and it is a skill we all need to learn.

As a result of this ethos and a rigorous approach to the teaching of reading, our pupils will:

• Read widely and often across the curriculum and be able to extract information from different genres of text.
• Be able to apply their phonics knowledge to decode unknown words and by re-reading texts, gradually building their fluency.
• Learn new vocabulary and gain creative ideas from fiction texts. 
• After listening to inspiring stories, be able to transfer ideas into their own writing and be motivated to use higher level vocabulary. 

To ensure fidelity to our Phonics program (Little Wandle) and consistency throughout the school, we ensure that staff receive regular training and discussion time. Half termly assessments are monitored and appropriate intervention is planned for through Keep sessions. Parents are provided with information throughout the year about how best to support their child. Regular learning walks and team teaching are provide opportunities for both formal and informal feedback and support to staff. In addition to this, summative assessments are carried out through the Rising Stars PUMA scheme and statutory Reading SATS papers.