At KPNS, we believe that reading is the key to all learning, and we are fully committed to making sure that every child loves reading and is a confident reader by the end of Key Stage One (Year Two).
In 2023, 91 % of pupils passed the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check.
We follow Read Write Inc right from the start of a child’s journey through school, which ensures that reading is taught in a systematic, discrete way with phonics as the prime approach to teaching early reading.
What is Read Write Inc Phonics?
Read Write Inc. is a DfE validated phonics scheme designed by Ruth Miskin, which through systematic teaching and consistent routines, enables ALL children to achieve high levels of reading success.
Who teaches RWI Phonics?
We have a dedicated team of teachers and teaching assistants who have all received RWI phonics training. They are passionate about achieving success and take part in regular practice meetings for coaching and training purposes. The scheme is overseen by the Reading Leader, who will monitor RWI sessions and ensure that all teaching is high quality and that children are focused and engaged. We also work closely with the Literacy Hub to ensure that our phonics provision is as good as it can be.
What and When?
- Daily phonics sessions with children grouped according to stage, not age.
- Daily ‘Storybook’ sessions, everyone reads books that match the sounds they know in a group every day.
- Reading books, that match sounds children know, are sent home to be read independently to consolidate learning.
- Children can also take a ‘reading for pleasure’ book to be read with or by an adult to provide a broad and rich reading experience.
- All planning follows the sequence of sounds and blueprint lessons plans from Read Write and use common habits and routines that include:
- Spotting special friends (identifying digraphs and trigraphs)
- Fred Talk (saying the sounds individually out loud then blending the word)
- Fred in your head (saying the sounds individually in your head)Speedy Reading
- Reading alien words
- Spelling using Fred Fingers
- Each child is carefully assessed and placed into a RWI group based their phonics sound knowledge and reading skills. This ensures that all children are working at the right level for their ability which is the best way to ensure progress and confidence in their reading skills. Your child might not be taught phonics by their own class teacher however all information and session notes are passed on from their RWI Tutor to enable further guidance and support in all subsequent lessons.
- Children are assessed each half-term using Read Write Inc assessments. This ensures all pupils keep up and that gaps identified are re-taught in phonics sessions, 1:1 tutoring or in partnership with parents.
- Any children who are not making sufficient progress will be given targeted intervention or additional 1:1 support.
- At the end of Year One all children complete a national Phonics Screen Check.
- At the end of Year Two all children complete a national curriculum test in English reading, this is known as the Year Two SATs (standard assessment test).
For more information regarding Read Write Inc., click on the link below.
Fred Talk
At school we use a puppet called Fred who only speaks in sounds. We call this Fred Talk. For example, Fred would say d-o-g, we would say dog. Your child is taught to hear sounds and blend them together to say words.
As your child learns each sound (phoneme), they are also taught to blend the sounds together to say and read CVC words such as mat, sit, pin.
Fred Fingers
Fred Fingers are used for spelling. Your child is taught to sound out the word they are spelling and put up the correct number of fingers for the sounds they can hear in the word. For example: m-e-t = 3 sounds = 3 fingers.
Green Words
When your child can orally blend sounds to say words, your child will start to read ‘green’ words. ‘Green’ words are words which can be sounded out and blended.
Red Words
When children start to read short ditties, your child will be taught to read ‘red’ words. These words are words with ‘tricky letters’ which can’t be sounded out phonetically. Your child will be taught the red words in a specific order, which will correlate with the books they are reading in lessons.
At Keyworth Primary and Nursery School, we believe that reading is the key to unlocking exciting worlds and powerful knowledge for all. Reading is fundamental to our pupils becoming successful and independent learners and we are excited to be a part of their reading journey. Reading is the vehicle through which children access many other areas of the curriculum and subsequently can open the door to many other aspects in the wider world.
Throughout their time at KPNS, children’s reading diet will allow them to experience and discuss a wide range of texts including poetry, non-fiction and fiction. This reading journey and the texts within it have been carefully planned and sequenced to ensure the intentional and cohesive building of cultural capital in which children have both read and made links between a wide range of texts.
Phonics
We ensure that daily, high quality, systematic, discrete phonics teaching is delivered consistently across our school. At KPNS, we follow the Read Write Inc. programme to teach phonics and children start this programme when they start school in Reception. Or for some children, when they join us in Nursery.
For more information regarding Read Write Inc., click here
Reading Books
Whilst your child is learning their initial sounds in Reception, they will bring home a ‘Reading for Pleasure’ picture book in their book bag which will be changed each week. This will give them the opportunity to develop a range of important reading skills. They will also bring home some sound cards so that they can begin to learn their initial sounds. Once your child can blend the sounds they know to read words, they will bring home a Read Write Inc. book bag book. Children should practise reading this book regularly so that they can read the book confidently, fluently and independently.
When children have completed the Read Write Inc. phonics programme, they will bring home a book selected from our library – a short assessment completed in school will ensure that these books are matched to their reading ability and age. Children are encouraged to make notes in their home/school book when reading at home.
As children progress through school, they will have 3 x weekly lessons designed to improve their reading fluency and comprehension. These lessons are focussed on an age appropriate text that is often linked to their topic. During these sessions children will use ‘echo’ reading, designed to improve reading fluency and pace, explore and learn new and challenging vocabulary, and develop a deeper understanding of the text allowing them to answer increasingly complex comprehension questions.
Love of Reading
Reading is necessary for learning, so instilling a love of reading at an early age is the key that unlocks the door to lifelong learning. Reading aloud presents books as sources of exciting experiences for children to remember. Instilling a love of reading early gives a child a head start on expanding their vocabulary and building independence and self-confidence. It helps children learn to make sense of the world and people around them, develop social and emotional skills as well as feed their imagination.
In addition to their Read Write Inc. book bag book, pupils will also select a ‘Reading for Pleasure’ book from a selection of age appropriate books to read with an adult at home. These books should be read by an adult and enjoyed together during ‘story time’ to develop a love of reading.
We work closely with parents and carers to promote the importance of sharing stories and how this can be done to ensure the greatest impact for their children.
To encourage children to read on a daily basis and increase their ‘reading miles’, we open the school early at 8.30am each day for ‘Blaize’s Reading Lair, inviting families to come to read with their children before school. Children in Y5&6 can come alone . Every time a child attends, they earn a stamp and regular attenders earn a special treat at the end. of each term.
All children in school work towards their Reading Awards – Bronze, Silver and Gold. These awards are presented in assemblies when children have completed a set of reading challenges that have been designed by the children themselves. See below for more information.
Please see the below links for further information on how to support your child with reading.
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDe74j1F52zSCiOMSn3zQDSzgu9TrbQ1c