Intent

At our school we are determined to provide a learning environment filled with high-quality, diverse and challenging books which will enable learners to:

• Become confident communicators in their spoken language and written word

• Develop and broaden their vocabulary in order to access all areas of the curriculum
• Develop a love of reading that continues well into secondary school and adulthood

• Become fluent and confident readers by focusing on a targeted and ‘keeping- up’ approach using a rigorous and synthetic phonics programme which sets the foundations for reading and writing
• Develop a rich understanding of what they are reading and develop reading skills which enables them to read at a challenging level and most importantly, to enjoy what they are reading
• Become effective and enthusiastic writers who have been immersed in high quality text which provide excellent models of writing

Implementation

In order to achieve our intentions, we provide children with:

• Daily phonics using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Programme in Early Years, Year 1 and Year 2
• A focus on ‘Keeping-up’ rather than ‘Catching-up’ targeted interventions across Early Years, Infants and Year 3.
• Small adult- led group reading sessions 3x a week in Reception, Year 1 and 2 with banded books which are closely matched to their stage in phonics.
• Half – termly assessments to identify children’s progress and any gaps in learning.
• Weekly reading book sent home to parents to develop children’s fluency
• Guided reading sessions in year 3 – 4 where children read targeted ability level books to increase fluency and understanding. Children are listened to by their class teacher on a weekly basis and encouraged to develop their understanding through comprehension activities.
• Whole reading sessions in Year 6 which provide children opportunities to develop their reading skills and understanding and to promote a love of books.
• Weekly reading session in our school library where children are able to take books home and enjoy with their families.
• Quality rich books from a range of genres, including poetry, in class book corners which are updated yearly and chosen to celebrate the diversity of the school community.
• Teachers who recommend and promote high-quality texts for children to take home and read – in order to foster a love of reading and appreciation of quality literature.
• A Reading Garden for children to use at lunch times so they have a quiet area to enjoy books. Weekly story telling sessions in the Reading Garden by the English Lead.
• Timetabled story time across the school. Children are never too old to be read to, no matter their age, and this is where challenging texts are read to children to encourage listening skills, a love of reading and an appreciation of expression and tone of voice. As experienced readers, we endeavour to entertain and model story-telling and text engagement to our learners.
• Enthusiastic staff who are trained in developing children’s oracy through drama-led activities which encourage effective communication skills
• All writing is built around and inspired by our core texts. Children are immersed in high quality literature in every writing lesson to ensure they are seeing effective and purposeful writing.
• A clear and sequenced writing curriculum which builds year on year, developing children’s understanding of grammar and writing style.
• Opportunities to apply and practice newly learnt skills and objectives in writing whilst always providing a high quality model in the form of a core text.
• Working walls and classroom display which model and exemplify new skills learnt in writing
• A breadth of cross-curricular texts with geographical, historical and scientific themes, with the diverse language that comes with them which enable learners to apply what they have learned in other subjects to their understanding of new texts.
• The Nelson Handwriting scheme which encourages accurate and correct letter formation in the early years and allows children to develop their own cursive handwriting style which allows them to write smoothly and quickly.
• A whole school spelling curriculum which builds on the Little Wandle programme used in Key Stage 1. The spelling programme focus on useable and effective spelling rules which children are encouraged to use in extended writing.

Impact

Through the teaching of systematic phonics, our children will become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage One. This way, they will focus on developing their fluency and comprehension as they move through the school. Attainment in reading will be measured using the statutory assessments at the end of Key Stage One and Two. These results will be in line with, and above, the reading attainment of children nationally. Attainment in phonics will be measured by the Phonics Screening Test at the end of Year 1.

We firmly believe that reading is the key to all learning and so the impact of our reading curriculum goes beyond the results of the statutory assessments. Children will have developed a love for reading that continues into adulthood.

Bounds Green Reading Curriculum

Little Wandle Foundations for Phonics

Little Wandle Foundations for Phonics_Planning and Overview

Bounds Green Spelling Curriculum Overview

Reading Lists..

Bounds Green Phonics and Early Reading Policy

BG Early Reading Policy

Reception Programme Overview

Year 1 Phonics Programme Overview

Bounds Green Grammar Overview Years 1-6

Spellings and Word Lists

Handwriting Policy