What do we want our children to learn?

At All Saints Academy, the reading curriculum is underpinned by the strong belief that reading is the foundation to children’s learning. We believe that reading develops children’s minds and enables them to use their imagination and think creatively. When children read, they open the door to a world of adventures and endless possibilities. Not only can children get lost in their thoughts but they are able to transfer the skill of reading to other areas of their learning.

As a school, we want our children to be passionate and excited about reading. We want reading to stimulate children’s imagination and expand their understanding of the world.

We believe that all children should have the opportunity to be confident readers who are able to comprehend and understand a wide range of texts. To this end, we place reading at the centre of all we do and strive to give our children enjoyable, interesting and appropriately challenging reading experiences that are immersive and deepen their understanding of the world around them.

By the end of their time at All Saints Academy, all children should be able to:

  • read with fluency and accuracy;
  • demonstrate a good understanding of what they have read.

We want children to develop a love of reading and a good knowledge of a diverse range of quality literature- new and old.

What does phonics & reading teaching and learning look like at ASA?

Our approach to teaching reading at All Saints Academy is through two main strands: ‘word reading and fluency’ and ‘comprehension’.

To develop effective word reading and fluency skills, we have implementation the Read Write Inc phonics program in EYFS and Key Stage One.

At All Saints Academy, Read Write Inc is a well-established and consistent approach to the teaching of early reading. It is taught at 9am every day within carefully selected groups led by well-trained members of staff.  Children have access to phonic books that are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and ‘tricky’ words. As children re-read the stories over a sequence of lessons, their fluency (and confidence) increases.

Once the Read Write Inc program is completed (end of Year 1 or Year 2), our approach changes to whole class reading lessons. These lessons continue to develop reading fluency alongside the introduction of comprehension skills (VIPERS).

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V= Vocabulary (word meaning)

I= Inference

P= Prediction

E= Explanation

R= Retrieval

S= Summarise or sequence

Teachers have a clear understanding of the comprehension skills and the progression of these skills across the year groups. Reading lessons are timetabled for 40-45 minutes a day. A reading lesson follows the structure:

  • Introduction to any new vocabulary needed for the lesson
  • Reading a section of the text (various strategies are used: teacher modelling reading, group reading, individuals reading aloud, independent reading, paired reading)
  • Teacher modelling the focus skill
  • Guided practice of the focus skill
  • Independent practice of the focus skill

High quality, age-appropriate texts are carefully mapped out for reading lessons across each year group. These are linked to the class topic where possible.

To promote a love of reading:

  • Ongoing school invests in high-quality texts that cover a range of authors and genres (for classrooms and the library).
  • Daily class story time – approx. 10 minutes
  • The learning environment reflecting the priority of reading within school.
  • A love of reading being encouraged, celebrated and rewarded through school-wide incentives such as the Reading tree and half termly reading parties.
  • The “Book Club” allowing children further access to enjoy reading with a highly skilled member of staff.
  • Peer reading sessions with year groups across schools.
  • Regular access to a well resources and carefully organised library.
  • Reading ambassadors who are selected to promote reading across school.
  • Author or poet of the half term.
  • Weekly reading assembly.
  • The ‘Book Nook’ in the playground is timetabled to ensure all children have the opportun ity to use it.
  • Reading books being taken home regularly.
  • School-wide events such as World Book Day events and book sales.

 What is the impact of our phonics & reading curriculum?

Through the teaching of systematic phonics, our aim is for children to become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage One.

Half termly RWInc assessments are carried out (Reception, Year 1 & Year 2) to ensure that children are taught within groups that match their phonic ability. These assessments are also used to identify individuals who need additional support to keep up with the program. These children receive either 1:1 or small group tutoring in addition to the daily phonics teaching.

Attainment in phonics is measured by the statutory Phonics Screening Test at the end of Year 1.

To support the provision of early reading and phonics at All Saints Academy, we have a dedicated Early Reading and Phonics Leader. This member of staff is available once a week, during the phonics session, to monitor the delivery of phonics. They provide real-time, on-the-spot coaching as necessary to ensure a high quality of phonics teaching and learning at All Saints Academy.

Reading assessments are used termly to identify gaps in learning that can be promptly addressed. Attainment in reading is measured using the statutory assessments at the end of Key Stage One and Two.

We share some of our learning on our Twitter feed #ASAReading.