Reading

Our approach to reading enables us to realise both our Mission Statement:

“Be The Best That You Can Be”

And our Disability Statement:

“To make all reasonable adjustments to ensure that any member of the school community with a disability is not placed at a disadvantage and to endeavour to anticipate their needs in advance of their participation in any activities within the school”

Intent

At Ribble Drive we love books and pride ourselves on being a reading school. We believe that success in reading opens doors to a world of knowledge and our aim is to instil in our children a lifelong love of reading and an enduring passion for books.

Reading is a skill that many take for granted, yet is one that is essential for being able to get on in life.  In addition to the reading of books, every day we are surrounded by print: signs, instructions, letters through the post, texts, emails, social media posts, news stories and so much more.  We need to equip our children with the skills necessary to decode these words and understand their meaning whilst sharing the message that reading can also be great fun!  As a child grows up, being able to read well not only enables them to discover new facts and to learn at school, but also opens them up to a world of new ideas, stories and opportunities.

Research shows that there is a direct correlation between reading for pleasure and increased attainment and all our staff are committed to ensuring that children become independent and fluent readers during their time at Ribble Drive. We want our children to enjoy books as much as we do!

Teaching children to read fluently, with accuracy and understanding, for information and for pleasure is one of the most important things we do, in English lessons and also throughout the wider curriculum.

Implementation

Our love of books and reading is evident as you walk around Ribble Drive, from wall displays celebrating quality texts to our cosy book corners and ‘reading nooks’.  As an important factor in children reading for pleasure is choice, we ensure that our shelves are stocked with books reflecting a wide range of themes and a variety of genres, with varying levels of challenge; there is something for everyone, from picture books to poetry.

We have worked closely with a highly regarded Literacy consultant, creating a bespoke ‘Reading into Writing’ curriculum to engage and excite our children.  Each year group from Reception to Year 6 has an overview of high quality, carefully selected texts that form the ‘backbone’ of their English lessons.  In addition to ensuring all genres are covered, these books have been selected for their subject matter, to reflect our ever-changing society and to ensure children are introduced to authors from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. 

Where possible, links are made with current topics in history, geography or science, enabling pupils to make connections in their learning.

Taking time out to share books with young children is one of the most beneficial things we can do and from the moment they walk through the doors in Reception, our children are immersed in a language-rich environment.  Pupils listen to, engage with and enjoy a wide variety of fiction, non-fiction, stories, songs and rhymes on a daily basis, with links to wider topics made wherever possible.

Alongside this, a systematic approach to teaching phonics right from the start ensures children develop fluency and confidence in reading and spelling. This, combined with daily opportunities to share high quality texts with adults and peers, ensures that pupils gain the knowledge and skills to become confident, fluent readers with the ability to use a range of reading strategies and skills.

Our teaching of reading throughout school explicitly addresses the two clear strands of word reading and comprehension as outlined in the National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.

Phonics:

Great emphasis is placed on the explicit teaching of phonics from the outset and as soon as our Reception children have settled in they start the Read, Write, Inc programme.

RWI continues throughout KS1 and into KS2 for those who need it.  In addition to daily phonic sessions which focus on word reading, the children enjoy a wide range of stories, songs and rhymes, information books and topic-related texts. (Please see our phonics page for more information)

Whole Class Reading:

At Ribble Drive we have a structured, consistent, whole school approach to the teaching of reading.

Every class from Reception through to Year 6 has a daily ‘Reading Warriors’ lesson- a whole class reading session in which teachers focus on the explicit teaching of vocabulary, prediction, summary and comprehension through high quality and engaging texts.  In Reception and Year 1 this is mainly through discussion and effective questioning, but as children move through school the structure of these lessons becomes more formal and children’s responses are recorded in individual Reading Journals.

Home reading:

We recognise the huge role that parents play in their child’s reading journey and right from the word go, home reading is something we encourage and support.

Children in Reception and Year 1 take home a fully decodable book that supports their learning in the classroom, alongside a library book to share with an adult for pleasure, encouraging the development of a ‘bedtime story’ routine.

Once they have completed the RWI programme, children take home reading books selected from our Accelerated Reader scheme.  These are carefully banded to match children’s abilities and offer children the opportunity to read ‘real’ books at their level whilst matching their individual interests.

Celebrating reading:

Here at Ribble Drive we place a huge focus on reading for enjoyment and we want our children to leave us with a love of literature and reading. Our ‘Reading Calendar’ provides an outline of the key reading events throughout the year, from reading in unusual places to the annual book fair, but here at Ribble Drive we also celebrate reading on a daily basis.  Children are given milestones to work towards with their home reading, with certificates, a book token to use at our personal book-vending machine and even an end of year trip to Madeleine Lindley’s book shop for those who read the most!

Impact:

• Children’s progress in phonics is continually reviewed through informal daily observations and then formal half termly phonic assessments.  These assessments inform planning and enable support to be put in place as soon as a need is identified.
• As a result of our rigorous approach to the daily teaching of phonics, children at Ribble Drive begin to acquire the necessary decoding skills within the first few weeks of starting school.
• There is a statutory phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 and again in Year 2 for any pupils who did not pass first time round. One to one intervention is put in place for these children.
• Ongoing teacher assessments in Years 2 to 6 form part of the daily planning cycle, enabling staff to monitor progress and put in place support and interventions as required.

Whilst understanding the need for children to achieve good results in tests and examinations, this is balanced by the importance of providing a broad, rich curriculum supported by a wide range of high -quality fiction and non-fiction texts.  Alongside the development of decoding skills, pupils at Ribble Drive learn to talk about books they have read, becoming confident, fluent and independent readers who choose to read for pleasure and for information.

Their words say it all:

“I love reading because it puts you in a world where anything is possible”

“I feel like I’m in the book and it gives me some alone time.”

“A book is a gate, escaping from reality.”

“Sometimes when I’m sad, a book cheers me up.”

“When I’m stressed out or annoyed, reading calms me down.”

“I love to learn new vocabulary.”

“It’s like a holiday in your head.”