Early Reading at St Vincent's
Year 1 and Reception - Early Reading
Starting in Autumn Term 1, Reception children will regularly read to the teacher and will progress to reading in small groups (called Reading Practice). This is an opportunity for the teacher to teach the children a specific skill and allow children time to practice it. We also teach reading in whole-class reading and phonics sessions where the children read together and develop their understanding through questioning and discussion.
In the younger years, the children will read using the Big Cat Little Wandle Reading books from Collins. They will be given books directly linked to the Phonic Phase and sounds they are learning. These will be sent home as physical books but the children will also have access to Electronic reading books (see documents section below for more details)
Year 2 and KS2
Once the children are secure with phonics, they progress onto our book-banded reading scheme. We use a range of reading schemes to support reading development including:
- Oxford Reading Tree
- Rigby Star
- Big Cat Collins
- Read, write, inc
These are changed at least twice a week. The book band will be based on Benchmarking carried out by the class teacher at regular intervals throughout the year.
Free Readers
Once the children progress beyond the banded book schemes they have access to our library books. The children have free choice in these books, but their teacher will monitor their choices carefully.
In class, KS2 children will be part of whole-class guided reading sessions enabling higher-level discussions and questioning.
Reading Pleasure – Whole school
Your child's reading experience is so much more than the reading book which comes home from school. At St Vincent’s, we want to give children the opportunity to read for pleasure and develop a love of books. In school children have a range of reading experiences including stories at the end of the day, shared reading as part of English lessons, and visits from authors.
As well as their reading scheme books, pupils are encouraged to choose a library book for pleasure, a book they can take home and enjoy reading with their family. These are changed weekly and children are often encouraged to write and share book reviews with the class to encourage others to read their book choice.
How can you support your child's reading at home?
Parents can support this 'reading journey' through regularly reading at home. Reading to and with your child every evening for at least ten minutes can make a dramatic difference to a child's achievement within school. A report from the Oxford University Press highlighted the importance of parents reading with their children. 'Children who read outside of class are 13 times more likely to read above the expected level for their age'.
The report also offers six tips for reading with your child at home, including:
- Make time to read- even ten minutes a day
- Choose different types of books
- Take turns to read
- Talk about the book- asking your child questions
- Pay attention to the language
- Enjoy reading
This website gives some excellent recommendations for books your child might enjoy.
