Phonics and Early Reading
Reading is fundamental to education. Proficiency in reading is vital for pupils’ success. Our aim is that by the end of year 6, pupils’ reading should be sufficiently fluent and effortless for them to manage the general demands of the curriculum in year 7, across all subjects and not just in English.
Phonics and Early provide the foundations for achieving this proficiency in reading. Understanding that the letters on the page represent the sounds in spoken words underpins successful word reading.
Roselands use the Sounds Write Programme to teach phonics. From the first year of school to Year 2, students learn the concepts necessary for proficient reading and writing. They are introduced to the 175 most common spellings of the 44 sounds in English through a carefully crafted sequence that goes from simple to more complex. They learn and practise the Initial Code to mastery before starting on the Extended Code, and, soon after, the reading and writing of polysyllabic words. You can find out more about the Sounds Writing Programme by visiting https://sounds-write.co.uk/
Word reading and language comprehension require different sorts of teaching. When pupils start learning to read, the number of words they can decode accurately is too limited to broaden their vocabulary. Their understanding of language is developed through their listening and speaking, while they are taught to decode through phonics. However, when they can read most words ‘at a glance’ and can decode unfamiliar words easily, they are free to think about the meaning of what they read. At this point we begin to develop their understanding of language through their reading as well as through their listening.
Developing a love of reading
Alongside the mechanics of teaching pupils to read is the intent to promote lifelong readers, pupils who want to read for pleasure. Roselands culture values and supports reading for pleasure by providing:
- Adults reading aloud regularly, including in class
- Informal book talk, including recommendations from peers and adults
- Encouraging Reading Cafe and book corner use, including the local public library
- Providing time to read daily
- Sociable reading environments, reading together and sharing books
Our Vision: Be The Best We Can Be
We want our pupils to be confident, independent, high achieving learners who are prepared for the next stage of their education and can fully participate as global citizens.
We will achieve this by a commitment to providing an inclusive, safe and inspirational teaching and learning environment that promotes high expectations of all pupils.
We support one another to overcome challenges with confidence and resilience, showing respect for ourselves and each other. We celebrate hard work and effort and our successes are shared because we know that together we can achieve more.