At St Michael’s First School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching Little Wandle Foundations in our Nursery and then, from Reception, we follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school. As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read.
We also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.
At St Michael’s First School, we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.
In our classrooms, our teaching team will foster a love of reading by;
- Ensuring that the classroom has a reading area, containing challenging, age-appropriate texts that are of interest to the children.
- Caring for books through the use of the school library and pupil librarians.
- Finding daily opportunities for children to read independently.
- Ensuring that daily reading aloud of aspirational and engaging texts by teachers, pupils and visitors.
Pupils read regularly in all areas of the curriculum and throughout the school day:
Please read our Early Reading Policy to learn more about how, when and where children across the Key stages read throughout the day.
· Reading Across the Curriculum – Pupils read a range of books linked to other areas of their learning. There is very much a focus on reading across the curriculum, with children engaging in wider research, both online and through fiction and non-fiction texts.
· School Library Visits – We have two libraries in school. Children have an opportunity to visit the library each week to borrow a book to enjoy at home.
· Homework Learning – Children in the younger years take scheme reading books home. Older children are able to choose their own books from home and are also given a reading scheme book matched to their reading ability. All children & parents are asked to record their reading every day in their reading record.
· Special Events – We love to celebrate books and reading. Each year we celebrate World Book Day by dressing up and undertaking a variety of fun, book-based activities. We also have two book fairs during the year.