We are a “Get Reading. Keep Reading. Change Everything.” school.

We use the highly successful Read Write Inc. Phonics programme to teach our children to read, write and spell. Our children do well in the phonics screening check and by Year 2, the majority are fluent readers with the best chance of success in the KS1 tests.

Ruth Miskin Training recognise us for teaching the Read Write Inc. programmes with fidelity and passion – we know what it takes to make literacy pleasurable and rewarding for our children.

To visit the parent pages on the Ruth Miskin Training website go to: http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/

Intent

At Brenzett Primary, we believe that ability to read is fundamental to our children succeeding; enabling them to access the next stage of their education and beyond. Our curriculum has been designed to ensure that pupils have opportunities to develop a love of reading. Our aim is to ensure that pupils gain a thirst for reading a range of genres and participating in discussions about the books; exploring the language used by different authors and the impact the written words have on the reader.

Our curriculum has also been designed to ensure that pupils not only read for pleasure but to use books to research and gather new knowledge to extend their understanding.

Implementation

Reading is an important part of our curriculum and is an integral part of all of our lessons. At Brenzett Primary we teach reading through:

• Phonics: At Brenzett Primary we teach RWInc phonics, a systematic synthetic phonics programme in EYFS and Key Stage 1. Within these sessions children learn phonics, reading skills and linked writing elements.
• Discreet comprehension lessons using Complete comprehension: We teach these lessons once a week for year groups 1-6.
• Reading lessons: At Brenzett Primary, we teach reading lessons which focus on developing pupils’ level of understanding of the text, through discussion, written and oral tasks; and the exploration of new vocabulary. Pupils will be taught to retrieve, infer, predict, summarise, analyse and evaluate a whole class text. This is taught 4 times a week.
• Reading across the curriculum: At Brenzett Primary, we maximise opportunities for pupils to read, through our knowledge rich curriculum with linked texts that focus on the teaching of reading whilst increasing the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the key concepts being taught in History, Geography and Science.
• Reading Plus: We utilise Reading Plus which is an online platform used by children in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6. It is an adaptive literacy program that improves fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, stamina and motivation.
• Independent Reading: At Brenzett Primary children progress from the RWI reading scheme to a banded system based on Reading Plus assessment data. Children then access texts at the appropriate level.
• Reluctant readers, or those pupils who struggle with reading are heard every day to ensure that they make expected progress. Children who are not at the expected level are given 1:1 tutoring to accelerate progress.

 

Each Key Stage within the school focuses on age appropriate skills and uses a range of strategies and interventions to support the pupils.

In EYFS:

Reading is taught through shared reading, using large print books and picture books. Pupils are taught the process of reading; learning that words and pictures have meaning. Through a range of practical activities children learn familiar stories. Pupils explore skills such as sequencing, prediction and retrieval. Using the RWInc phonics programme our pupils are taught the initial sounds as well as the skills to orally blend and word build.

In Key Stage 1, we use RWInc. for our phonics programme. Phonic awareness helps the development of reading by segmenting and blending sounds. The children will be heard reading individually and in groups. Reading is taught through a shared reading approach using books that are rhythmical and have repetitive patterns. Pupils explore vocabulary, prediction, sequencing, making inferences and retrieving information. In addition, pupils in Key stage 1 are taught reading through a whole class approach using Power of Reading principles. See reading overview.

In Key Stage 2, in addition to discreet reading teaching we use Power of Reading principles to immerse children in high quality texts during English lessons. Texts are chosen to ensure pupils experience a range of genre and text types. See reading overview. Pupils explore a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts in their foundation lessons, which are based around age appropriate texts linked to the curriculum subject being studied.

Impact

Through the teaching of systematic phonics, our aim is for children to become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage One. This way, children can focus on developing their fluency and comprehension as they move through the school.

Attainment in reading is measured using the statutory assessments at the end of Key Stage One and Two. These results are measured against the reading attainment of children nationally.

Phonics:

• Phonics Screening Test at the end of Year 1.
• Half termly checks to ensure that pupils are places within the correct teaching group and that progress is being made.