At Delph Side, we truly believe that learning to read is the most important thing your child will learn at our school. Everything else depends on it, so we will do all that we possibly can to ensure that every single child learns to read as quickly as possible. Not only do we want children to have the skills to be able to read words, we want children to love reading. We put lots of effort into teaching children to love books and really want to read for themselves!
We actively teach early reading skills from when the children start at Delph Side in Nursery or Pre-School. We aim to instil a love of reading in all children by celebrating stories and reading to children every day. In addition, our Early Years classrooms have a wide variety of carefully selected books which children can access freely and share with their friends. Before children learn to read letter sounds, we teach children about the rhythm in words, rhyming words and alliteration. Children will learn key nursery rhymes in each class which support the early skills they will need to be successful readers in the future.
We use the Read, Write, Inc. programme to provide a structured and systematic approach to teaching reading and writing in EYFS and KS1. The programme aims to create fluent and confident readers and writers.
“The more that you read, the more thing you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Please watch the video clip below for more information the RWI programme:
During daily phonics sessions, children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2:
- Learn new sounds
- Practise reading and spelling words containing these sounds
- Read de-codable books containing sounds & words they can read
- Learn to read and spell some words which are not de-codable
We use lots of ways to monitor the progress children are making with their reading. Children are grouped so that they work with other children who are working at the same level as them. We complete reading assessments once every half term and children move groups when they need to. If children need extra help, they will have one-to-one support to help them to keep up.
The document below shows the expected progress of children following the RWI phonics programme:
RWI
In addition to the teaching of phonics, adults read aloud to children regularly. Children enjoy a wide range of stories, rhymes, non-fiction books and poems.
Reading in KS2
When out Delphsiders are in KS2, they have many opportunities to be reading regularly to develop their word reading and comprehension.
Whole Class Reading
Children take part in regular whole class reading lessons each week to develop their comprehension skills. Each session focuses on a different reading domain. Classes focus on one book each half term (including a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry).
Independent Reading
At the end of each whole class reading lesson, children have the opportunity to read independently with a book from their class bookshelf. This is their time to really get immersed in a good book and to read for pleasure! EYFS up to Year 4 have class libraries with a vast range of fiction and non-fiction books to choose from. Year 5 and 6 have their own non-fiction class libraries and they also have access to The Loft! This is a space that is exclusive to Years 5 and 6 where they go to chill, read and change their books once they've finished them.
Home Reading
Children in KS2 are expected to read each evening and reading records are checked in school each week to monitor home reading engagement. We encourage children to read for 15 minutes each evening to develop their reading fluency and confidence.
World Book Day 2023
Everyone came to school in their pyjamas to get cosy and read! All classes enjoyed fun activities throughout the day such listening to a mystery reader, taking part in a BBC live lesson and taking part in a guess the teacher competition at lunch time!
