How We Teach Reading at St Bernadette Primary School

Empowering all children to be confident and engaged readers for life

Reading for pleasure in school:

Story books, class readers and novels are used to share a love of reading with pupils, enhance their comprehension, build vocabulary and strengthen their emotional literacy.  It is essential that story/ class novel sessions are timetabled and planned for as it enables pupils to build a closer bond with their classmates and teacher through discussion and the learning and enjoyment gained from each story that is shared.  This happens:

• Early years- every day at the end of the day
• KS1- Class reader at least 4 times a week
• KS2- Class novel at least 3 times a week

Texts are chosen by class teachers, so that they are age appropriate, match the interests of the children and aim to be related to the curriculum.  Texts are referenced in guided reading planning for each term to ensure that quality material is available, a range of authors are covered and to support the promotion of equality and diversity.  Class texts are also shared on the school’s social media pages to encourage parental engagement and choice of text at home.

In addition to this, other opportunities are provided for pupils, staff and parents to work together to share a love for reading and stories.

In Reception and KS1, parents can access story sacks to take home and share a story together with their child.  Across the whole school, we run Scholastic Book fairs twice a year and celebrate World Book Day together with a range of fun and engaging activities.  The school is fortunate to have its own designated author, Adam Guillain, who visits on World Book Day and at other times throughout the year as part of our Storytelling curriculum where he delivers assemblies and workshops for staff and pupils.

St. Bernadette Reading Challenge:

Our school Reading Challenge is a whole- school initiative to promote parental engagement with reading. Every class, from Reception up to Year 6, compete against the other classes in their phase, by aiming to read 5 times a week, to an adult, at home.  This is recorded in their Reading Records and checked at least weekly by the class teacher. 

The Teaching of Reading Across the School

Pupils across all phases of the school, learn to read beginning with Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised Phonics and Early reading programme, and moving onto the book-banded system. Books are monitored and changed by an adult to ensure that pupils are being moved on when they are ready and that their books match their reading age and comprehension. 

Early Years and Year 1 Provision:

At St Bernadette Catholic Primary School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Nursery using the Foundations for Phonics programme, and in Reception and year 1 we follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

Further information on the teaching of phonics

Year 2 Additional Provision:

Reading:

Guided reading/ comprehension is taught 3 times a week and pupils are listened to read by the class teacher or teaching assistant.  A variety of activities is used to support this, depending on the reading need and skills being taught, ranging from group reading, whole- class reading and independent comprehension activities.

Assessment:

Individual tracking sheets are used for pupils to assess their reading of HFW.  In guided reading, tracking sheets are used to monitor which reading objectives are being met, which are in- line with the National Curriculum end of Key Stage expectations.

Across KS2, NFER tests are used in each term to track fluency and comprehension progress and 1:1 reading assesses progress in fluency and through the colour- banded books.

Termly pupil progress meetings take place to review reading progress and next steps/ intervention.

Intervention:

For those pupils in Year 2 who did not pass the Phonics Test at the end of Year 1, there is additional, daily, intervention.

Key Stage 2 Provision:

Reading:

Pupils in KS2 read 1:1 with an adult at least once a week and this is an opportunity to monitor fluency, comprehension and assess progress through the colour- banded books.  For those who are not on track and require more support, staff aim to read with them either on a daily basis or 3 times a week based on their needs.

Guided reading/ comprehension is taught 3 times a week and pupils are listened to read by the class teacher or teaching assistant during these sessions.  Across the week, there is group or whole- class reading comprehension and independent comprehension- based activities.

Assessment:

PM benchmarking is used termly to set the children’s colour- banded books in Year 3 and 4, until they become free-readers. (This is extended to Years 5 and 6 where needed.) PM benchmarking assesses children’s fluency and comprehension skills. Children must be secure in both their fluency and comprehension to be assessed within a colour band. 

In guided reading, tracking sheets are used to monitor which reading objectives are being met, which are in- line with the National Curriculum end of Key Stage expectations.

Across KS2, NFER tests are used in each term to track fluency and comprehension progress and 1:1 reading assesses progress in fluency and through the colour- banded books.

Termly pupil progress meetings take place to review reading progress and next steps/ intervention.

Intervention:

In Years 3 and 4, the Little Wandle ‘Rapid Catch- up’ programme is used as an intervention to reinforce and consolidate knowledge and skills for those pupils who have gaps in their knowledge.

Daily reading with an adult supports pupils who are not on track or whose reading age is not in- line with their chronological age.

Additional intervention is put in place for pupils who need further support with their comprehension skills.