Intent

At Broadwindsor, we seek to ensure that children are supported to be enthusiastic, lifelong learners with a love of literacy. Acquiring the skills to read, write and speak with confidence are the most important things that a child will learn: we encounter literacy every day of our lives as it is the framework of our communication. The ability to express ourselves effectively gives children a voice, and therefore opportunities to share their ideas with the world.

Implementation

From the moment children start school in EYFS, they are taught phonics. This systematic synthetic approach is taught throughout Key Stage One following the Read Write Inc. Synthetic Systematic Phonics early reading programme; these daily sessions develop fluent word reading skills and provide good foundations in spelling. Rapid catch-up sessions are provided, where necessary, to ensure all children make good progress.

Spellings are taught explicitly throughout the school. This starts in the form of ‘red words’ in EYFS, and builds to support spelling patterns and rules with a clear progression that develops children’s strategies and understanding of language.

All children take part in daily reading sessions.  High-quality teaching of whole-class reading, guided group work and comprehension lessons enable children to be confident readers. Classes share a daily read aloud and children read their own books with increased independence as they progress through the school. Teachers and teaching assistants listen to children read on a regular basis.

Our children are all encouraged to read widely in both fiction and non-fiction to develop their knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live. This establishes an appreciation and love of reading which supports wellbeing as well as providing access to knowledge across the curriculum. A range of high-quality reading interventions are offered quickly to ensure that every child reaches their full potential and as they progress through the school, children participate in the Accelerated Reader scheme where they can quiz on the books read if they wish to.

Children experience a broad and balanced diet of genres; there is a clear progression of reading and writing skills which are taught in our rolling programme of study.

Each English unit is led by a model text and enhanced by a variety of multimedia. Shared writing supports children’s understanding of the necessary transcriptional and compositional skills, such as the relevant punctuation, handwriting and grammatical rules for the text type. In order to give a purpose and an audience for writing, children are given time to discuss, plan, write, edit and redraft their work into published pieces that are celebrated.

Oracy skills are developed across the school through a variety of games, discussions, debates, performances and explicitly taught sessions; all of which develop children’s vocabulary and support them in becoming confident communicators. The understanding of vocabulary is key to the wider understanding of texts and, as such, we celebrate the discovery of ‘new’ words in our classrooms as we develop our working walls.

Literacy skills form the cornerstone of education across the world. High-quality, rapid intervention supports children to ensure they are ready for the next stage of their learning.

Impact

• Children are competent communicators and have a vast knowledge of vocabulary.
• All children make at least good or accelerated progress in their literacy development.
• Children have an awareness of a variety of authors and genres and are able to voice their love of reading.
• Our children are enthusiastic writers and produce quality extended writing.
• The school’s results for the Phonics Screening Check and end of Key Stage 1 & 2 English results compare favourably to that of the national data.
• Children’s literacy skills support them to access the wider curriculum and the next stage of their education. 

Reading at Broadwindsor

The more that you read, the more things you know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go!

– Dr Seuss.

At Broadwindsor CE VC Primary School, we value reading as a crucial life skill.  We ensure that our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary.  We ensure our children see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

Enjoying books and reading stories from a very early age is crucial in the development of children. It helps with their ability to understand words, use their imagination and develop their speech, as well as being something they really enjoy. We are committed to sharing high quality and vocabulary rich texts across the curriculum so that children may develop knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live. By the time our pupils leave Broadwindsor, we envisage that they will be competent readers who can recommend books to their peers, seek out books from a range of different genres including poetry and engage in discussion about authorial choices or impact on the reader.

Teachers and parents play a huge part in the development of reading skills in young children. The more children experience books, the more they will gain interest and passion for them. Reading offers so much more than just quiet time in a cosy corner. It helps to develop social skills through the further development of speaking and listening, as well as all aspects of literacy that as adults we take for granted.  As a result, young children need to be able to experience books; they need to be able to understand and enjoy stories, books, rhymes and songs and listen and respond to them with curiosity and enjoyment. This will promote the value and pleasure of reading and encourage an interest in reading throughout school and in later life.

Early Reading

At Broadwindsor we use the Read, Write Inc (RWI) Phonics Programme: a systematic programme for the teaching of phonics, reading, spelling and early writing.  Our aim is for all pupils to start their journey to reading with confidence, developing a love of reading and, in turn, to apply their skills to writing. 

Phonics and early reading are taught from the beginning of Reception year using Read Write Inc Phonics (RWI Phonics) – a complete systematic, synthetic phonics programme. This is used throughout KS1 and (where appropriate) for children in KS2, to support developing readers to reach their full potential. Phonics is taught daily, with fidelity to the programme, by trained members of staff. Progress is assessed each half term and children are regrouped according to their reading progress. Reading books are closely matched to children’s phonetic ability and are sent home for families to support the reading journey.

These are then fully decodable so that children are able to decode with ease and develop their prosody and fluency skills. We identify where the children should be at the end of the year to ensure all staff know the end goal. The decodable reading practice book is taken home to ensure success is shared with the family. Children also take home a Reading for Pleasure book for adults to share with them. In school, class teachers read to children every day; we choose these books carefully as we want children to experience a wide range of books.

We identify children requiring additional support and deliver 1:1 or small group Fast Track Tutoring during additional sessions. Children requiring additional reading support in Years 4, 5 and 6 receive 1:1 RWI Fresh Start support by trained members of staff.  

Teaching reading:

Each reading practice session has a clear focus: decoding, prosody and comprehension. 

On completion of the RWI Phonics programme, children are taught reading/comprehension skills in daily Reading for Understanding lessons. In KS1 this is taught using the RWI comprehension programme, while in KS2 Sessions are structured around a carefully selected short fiction or non-fiction extract or poem. Reading is modelled by the class teacher and children read aloud in pairs daily. This is followed by in-depth whole-class exploration of vocabulary and meaning followed on subsequent days by children answering written questions which support them to develop retrieval, inference, prediction, explanations and summary skills. 

Reading for Pleasure: 

Children have access to a wide range of books to read for pleasure from our Library and in classroom libraries. Books are carefully chosen to offer an inspiring range of age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction, which children can take home to share with parents. Teachers read from a class book during daily story-time; children are encouraged to sit and relax while they listen to high-quality and engaging stories. We select class readers to excite and engage children, and to expose them to new and varied vocabulary. A team of volunteers from our local community provides additional targeted support to pupils identified by class teachers and the English Lead, listening to them read and asking open questions to generate enthusiastic book talk. 

Assessment

We assess all pupils following Read Write Inc. phonics assessments each half-term. We use the Entry, Assessment 1 and Assessment 2 and the Reading Lead then rearranges groups accordingly. Regular assessments ensure that children receive targeted teaching quickly according to their needs. This means that children who are progressing through the programme quicker than their peers are moved into an advanced group; those who are at risk of falling behind the programme’s pace and expectations are given additional support so that they keep up with their peers. 

Once children have completed the RWI programme, they can select books from the Library’s Accelerated Reader selection which is linked to their reading ability; Accelerated Reader is designed to support children’s comprehension by providing a star reader quiz at the end of a book.  

Children in KS1 and KS2 complete termly TestBase comprehension assessments which are robust and assists teachers with their practice and planning.  

What is Accelerated Reader?

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a computer program that helps teachers to manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Children take a ‘Star Reader’ quiz each term which is used to determine your child’s reading level. It is a computer-based reading assessment program that uses computer-adaptive technology. Questions continually adjust to your child’s responses. If the child’s response is correct, the difficulty level is increased. If the child cannot answer a question or answers incorrectly, the difficulty level is reduced. The test uses multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Your child then picks a book at his/her own level and reads it at his/her own pace. When finished, your child takes a short quiz on the computer – passing the quiz is an indication that your child has understood what has been read.

Adults may assist pupils in the following ways:

• Guiding them to books appropriate to their ability and interests
• Asking probing questions as your child reads and before quizzing
• Pairing your child with others, reading with or reading to your child

Since they are reading books at their own reading and interest levels, most children are likely to be successful and enjoy the books and quizzes. Best of all, they learn and grow at their own pace.

What is a Book Level?

Book Levels are reported using a readability formula and represent the difficulty of the text. The levels range from 0.5–13.5. Books are chosen based on the ZPD range recommended for each pupil by Star Reading.

How can I help my child become a better reader?

As with anything, performance improves with practice. According to Renaissance Learning’s research, children who read at least 20 minutes a day with a 90% comprehension rate on AR quizzes see the greatest gains. Encourage your child to read at home, discuss books, ask questions about what they have read and visit your local library.

Writing at Broadwindsor

Children experience a broad and balanced diet of genres where they have the opportunity to write daily; there is a clear progression of writing skills throughout our rolling programme of study.  

Early mark making is soon developed into recognisable graphemes as part of our teaching in Foundation Stage. Children consolidate their handwriting skills throughout Year 1 and are then taught the skills of joined handwriting in Year 2. This is then further developed as children progress into Key Stage 2.

Each English unit is led by a model text and enhanced by a variety of multimedia. This is supported by the strong reading culture in our school that feeds our imagination and allows us to explore new worlds.

Shared and modelled writing supports children’s understanding of the necessary transcriptional and compositional skills, such as the relevant punctuation, handwriting and grammatical rules for the text type. In order to give a purpose and an audience for writing, children are given time to discuss, plan, write, edit and redraft their work into published pieces that are celebrated.

Assessment

Children apply their writing across the curriculum and their independent writing is assessed termly. This is based on the Standards & Testing Agency (STA) Writing Assessment Framework and writing objectives. Alongside writing moderations within school, writing is also moderated by a variety of local schools.

Intervention

Regular monitoring of the assessment outcomes allows teachers to ensure that all children are making expected progress and allows early intervention to be put into place for those children falling behind the expected standard. Depending on the needs of individuals, this may include specific phonic and spelling support, handwriting support and/or additional individual or small group tutoring. It is important that children who are struggling to learn to write not only need to catch up with their peers, but also continue to make progress.

Inclusion

Our aim is that every child’s needs are catered for, and every child is given the chance to succeed and become a competent writer. We give every child the opportunity to experience success in learning and to be the best that they can be. Work is matched to individual children’s needs.