Reading and Phonics

Intent and Implementation 

At Carlton Junior and Infants school we believe reading is the key to unlock the world around us. We promote a love of reading for both adults and children because we know that for brief moments of time, books release us from the constraints of our own reality. They take us beyond our world and into someone else’s real or imaginary. They satisfy the curiosity of the elusive “What if?”.

We believe at Carlton Junior and Infants School that children need to hear stories read out loud by people who do so with relish and enthusiasm; by teachers who adore books. They need to be welcomed into a community of literature lovers and story enthusiasts.

We endeavour to provide pupils with a high-quality education in English that will teach pupils to speak, read and write fluently so that they can communicate effectively with others.

With regards to reading we place a high emphasis on starting a phase one approach in Lower Foundation Stage which concentrates on developing children's speaking and listening skills. The emphasis is to get children attuned to the sounds around them and lays the foundations for the phonic work. A systematic and synthetic approach to the early teaching of reading supports the children in school.

 Pupils will be immersed in a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry throughout their primary journey. Reading is a priority at Carlton to ensure children develop a knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live, to establish an appreciation and love of reading, to gain knowledge across the curriculum and develop their comprehension skills. It is our intention to ensure that, by the end of their primary education, all pupils are able to read fluently, and with confidence, in any subject in their forthcoming secondary education.

READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!! 

Our children build up their own home libraries. Each half term all children will select a book of their choice and these will be sent home with the children. we hope you enjoy reading the new books with the children. Happy reading!

For children in Upper Foundation stage these will be chosen by the Class teacher. The will be one of the traditional tales your child will learn over each half term. 

Phonics

As a school we follow the Read Write Inc. Phonics scheme 

Read Write Inc. Phonics is a comprehensive literacy programme designed to get all of our infants and in some cases the junior children reading and writing quickly. Importantly, phonics is not taught in isolation.

Initial and on-going assessment tracks every child’s progress. Children are grouped by ability so they learn rapidly at the right level. Partner work means every child participates in the whole lesson.

Our special ‘three reads’ approach ensures every child gains accuracy, fluency and a good understanding of the text.

All our staff are well trained in the delivery of Read Write Inc. We teach the children pure sounds which supports them as they move onto blending. Please use the link below to access a short video demonstrating "how to say the sounds"

Reading

All children read on a weekly basis, this may be individual or guided reading.  Children to a range of adults including their class teacher or our support staff who have a wealth of experience in supporting children's reading. Through the use of  Accelerated Reader the children are able to read a wide selection of books. regular Quiz time ensures the children are able to move through the reading levels at their own pace. the impact of Accelerated Reader can be clearly seen in the motivation the children have for reading. 

Accelerated reader success is celebrated at the end of each term with the children who have read the most words joining the headteacher for afternoon tea. This takes place at on of the local coffee shops. This is always a lovely way to reward the hard work the children put in. When children have read 1million words they are awarded a Kindle, should they read a second million they are given the equivalent cost in Amazon book vouchers for their kindle. 

Guided reading is taught at a whole class level and this happens on a daily basis. The children are exposed to new text on a weekly basis and this is then used so that the children fully understand the text and are able to work with their teacher on all content domains within the text. This not only increases their ability to read fluently and with understanding but also ensures they are well prepared for formal testing which takes place at the end of each school year.