Reading
Mrs Connor and Mrs Scoby are the reading leads.
Miss Kemp is the Early reading lead.
We all work closely together to ensure reading is a priority at our school.
We teach reading because:
Reading helps us to understand the world around us.
Reading helps our mind to grow and keeps our brain active.
It provides us with new knowledge and vocabulary which helps our written and spoken language.
It transports us into another world and helps us to relax.
At St Mark’s we have the unwavering belief that all of our pupils will become fluent readers because reading is a priority at our school. It is our intent that every pupil will learn to read, regardless of their background, need or ability. Reading is a life skill and a treat. An experience for children to enjoy. At St Mark’s we want every child to leave school as a fluent reader, enabling them to be fully prepared for further academic study, and well equipped for the essentials of everyday life. Our aim is for children to leave school having accessed a range of texts, covering a range of genres, throughout the primary phase, and develop a passion and curiosity to want to continue their reading journey. Stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction texts are carefully chosen for reading in order to develop pupils’ vocabulary, language comprehension and love of reading.
Early Reading
Early reading is vitally important. For this reason, it is our aim is to develop the children’s phonological awareness, their ability to segment and blend words and read tricky words on sight in order to become fluent readers. As a result, our pupils develop a love of reading and a sense of achievement and enjoyment.
In KS1 – RWInc (Reading, Writing Incorporated)
This is so that we are able to apply it within our reading book.
This is so we are able to apply our sounds when reading at home, at school or in the wider world.
This is so we can build up our knowledge and read anything!
We use the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme to support our pupils to read effectively and quickly. The systematic teaching of phonics has a high priority throughout EYFS and Key Stage 1 with daily lessons and activities. The RWI scheme provides an opportunity for children to decode letter-sound correspondences, read common exception words, and understand what they have read with fluency and expression.
Reading for pleasure and promoting a love of stories, rhymes and poems is hugely important. In EYFS, we follow the EYFS profile and teach both Early Learning goals of ‘Word Reading’ and ‘comprehension’ side by side. This is to instil a passion for reading and to provide the children with the skills they need to become competent readers.
Please have a look at the below link for more information about Read Write Inc and how you can support your child at home: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/read-write-inc-phonics-guide/?utm_campaign=learninganywhere&utm_source=communigator&utm_medium=email&utm_content=rwi&utm_team=pri&gator_td=lJHuae6yZx1BZXAh5hn6gAygBx1nRrhiItVUGxYtYSIRyBn%2bS5pHvXZT8wRx%2fF29nuz5PyxDSGFpNYPBcqPhyjNIOPvFg484y9KcYzGOghsnz4jgtDYMIkutU%2fjyuSwqUA1wF7FNIWeOQzZvkX%2fkkCSXU%2fTSCButLSzbd%2bjuw8tKUZQsolbBj7QeVxwo7gEZeNZ5MeBCW45L4Jb4OsXdSA%3d%3d
From Nursery until children have reached the end of the program, they follow Read Write inc. phonics for their teaching of reading. To support children in their reading development, and in order to keep expectations in line with what stage they are actually at in their reading, children choose a reading book that is in line with their RWI stage and the expectation is that they read these books to an adult, with fluency.
Reading at St Mark’s It is our intent that children who attend Saint Mark’s have access to a high quality English curriculum that is both challenging and enjoyable. We provide our children with a variety of high quality reading materials and opportunities, which will enable them to develop as lifelong readers with a love of reading. Texts are carefully chosen in order to develop and enhance children’s vocabulary and use of Standard English both written and orally. We strive for all children to be both confident and independent readers. We aim to equip all children with the reading skills needed to successfully access a wide variety of texts and genres. At St Mark’s children will learn to read with confidence, fluency and understanding. Reading is given high priority across the whole school. Reading is evident in every subject and every class across all phases. At St Mark’s we are aware of the opportunities reading offers to our pupils. Reading acts like a key which can be used to unlock many doors, allowing children to access and make sense of the world as well as taking them on wonderful adventures.
Our Reading aims are:
To promote reading for pleasure. To promote confidence and positive attitudes to reading through access to a wide range of literature. To develop phonetic skills which lead to blending and reading accurately and fluently. To broaden vocabulary. To use inference and deduction skills. To develop comprehension skills, and enable children to analyse what they read and to participate in discussion and debate about texts. To monitor each child’s progress through assessment To support those children who require additional support with their reading.
