English - Reading

Intent:
At Manorcroft, reading is a priority and a key driver of our curriculum. We have the expectation that every child will leave school confident, with a love of reading, allowing them to succeed in their aspirations and be successful in life. By the time children move on, they will be equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary and be able to read for meaning as well as for pleasure.

Our expectation is that children will be fluent readers by the end of Y1. We therefore teach early reading using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised (LWLS), which is an accredited systematic and synthetic phonics programme. This ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

Implementation (YR-Y1):
Little Wandle Letters and Sounds

• We teach a daily 30 minute phonic session in YR and Y1; then on Friday, we revisit and review the learning from the previous 4 days. 
• We follow the LWLS expectations of progress:
  • YR - children are taught to read and spell words using Phase 2 and Phase 3 GPCs, and words with adjacent consonants (Phase 4) with fluency and accuracy
  • Y1: children review Phase 3 and Phase 4 and are taught to read and spell words using Phase 5 GPCs with fluency and accuracy
• We teach children to apply their phonics to reading through group reading practice sessions 3x 15 minutes weekly working with a trained adult. Books are matched to the children’s secure phonics knowledge using assessments and book matching grids from LWLS. Each reading session has a clear focus: decoding, prosody and comprehension. In Y2 and above, we continue to use reading practice sessions to support any children who still need to practice reading decodable books.

Daily Keep Up Sessions

• Any child who needs additional practice has daily keep up sessions, taught by a trained adult. Keep up sessions use the same pattern, mantras and resources as the whole class phonics sessions. However, the keep up sessions are broken down into smaller steps with lots of repetition to ensure every child secures their learning.
• Keep up sessions are in addition to whole class phonics sessions, meaning that children are not left behind.

Reading at Home

• The fully decodable reading book from the reading practice sessions is taken home to ensure that success is shared and to increase reading with fluency.
• Children are able to choose a second, 'sharing book' to also take home. The expectation is that children may not be able to read this book independently and parents will need to share it with their children. The purpose of the sharing book is to promote a love of reading and to develop children's vocabulary acquisition.
• There are a large number of resources available to support families, including film clips, termly overviews, support for tricky words, pronunciation guides and a really useful explanation of the two types of book coming home ('Reading Practice' and 'Sharing Book') - LWLS Parent Resources.
• We hold regular reading workshops for EYFS, KS1 and KS2 parents to help explain how reading is taught in school and the key role parents/carers play at home.

Implementation (Y2 & KS2):
The majority of children will have completed the LWLS phonics programme and be fluent readers by the end of Y1. Children who are not yet fluent readers will continue with the LWLS programme into Y2.

Rapid Catch Up

• From the Spring Term of Y2 onwards, children who need further support, or have not passed the Phonics Screening Check, will take part in ‘Rapid Catch Up’ sessions to help close the gap between themselves and their peers. Rapid Catch Up progresses children through the LWLS scheme at a faster pace. These children will also be reading rapid catch up books.
• Rapid Catch Up may not be suitable for all KS2 children, as some children may need to progress through the scheme at a pace appropriate to their needs. These children will continue to have daily keep up sessions.

Whole Class Reading

• We teach a daily 30 minute whole class reading session in Y2 - Y6.
• This follows a cycle:

1. The 'prepare' stage helps scaffold children’s encounter with the text and provides them with the necessary hand-holds when they are reading.
2. During the 'read' stage children are exposed to an engaging encounter with the text. The teacher models reading with fluency and prosody. Children are then given multiple opportunities to practice reading the text. This builds fluency and expression which then allows the children to develop a response.
3. During the 'react' stage children are given the opportunity to react to it personally, as readers.
4. During the 'explore' stage children take part in ‘closed reading’ which involves practising reading closely or analytically - making inferences, picking out words, phrases or details, making connections and finding evidence for ideas. Children also take part in ‘extended reading’ which involves the teacher modelling reading fluently to the class. Then the children take it in turns to read aloud. Finally, children read for extended periods in silence rehearsing fluency. The session is accompanied by discussion and questions that probe understanding of the text.
5. Children are then given the opportunity to 'process' and record their responses and understandings after discussion - in writing, talk or other creative mode.

• Sessions are varied and engaging rather than formulaic.
• During each stage teachers ask a wide range of question types, for developing pupils’ responses when reading. These include: vocabulary, inference, summarising, predicting, retrieval, author choice, compare, contrast and comment.

Implementing a Love of Reading:
We foster a love of reading in a variety of ways:

• We read to children every day in all year groups. We choose the books carefully so that children experience a range of genres.
• Every classroom has created a book corner that is continually refreshed with different books from the school library.
• Adults talk to the children about the books they are reading and make suggestions about what they can read next.
• All children have a reading record/weekly diary to ensure communication between school and home about reading and home learning.
• We have other initiatives such as diamond reader books and reward certificates, birthday books and author visits to inspire children to read.
• We teach reading within and beyond the classroom as part of our commitment to outdoor learning.

Impact:
By the end of Y1, children will be fluent readers and able to use their decoding skills to read unknown words in phonetically decodable books. Throughout Y2 - Y6 they develop, practise and hone their skills, moving from 'learning to read' to 'reading to learn'. Our aim is for children to leave Manorcroft as confident, able readers, who can access a range of texts for pleasure and enjoyment, as well as use their reading skills to unlock learning and access all areas of the curriculum.

The Reading curriculum is evaluated through:

• LWLS ongoing phonic assessments
• End of EYFS data
• Phonics Screening Check data in Y1 and Y2
• KS2 Reading SATs results