Phonics and Early Reading
Intent
At Thelwall Community Junior School, we believe that all our children can become fluent, confident and competent readers and writers. To ensure this happens we teach using the DfE validated programme Ready Steady Phonics. This is a synthetic, systematic phonics programme based upon the Letters and Sounds 2007. We follow the Ready Steady Phonics progression document which systematically develops children’s understanding of the phonics code and builds upon previous learning in an incremental manner as they move through school.
The programme develops children’s ability to blend and segment, using their current phonics knowledge, allowing early success and increasing their confidence in reading. As a result, the children at Thelwall Community Junior School are able to tackle unfamiliar words using their phonics knowledge.
At Thelwall Community Junior School we also model and apply the skills taught in the discrete phonics session into reading and writing across the curriculum, demonstrating contextual application of the skills taught.
We have a strong focus on language development as we recognise that speaking and listening are crucial skills that underpin reading and writing.
At Thelwall Community Junior School we also want our children to be able to read for meaning and pleasure and to be able to view themselves as lifelong readers. The matched decodable readers provided by Ready Steady Phonics support this and provide engaging and meaningful texts for children to decode and to discuss for understanding. Development of comprehension is promoted within the Ready Steady Phonics Shared Reading Sessions and these are built on further as the children move through our school.
Keeping All Children on Track
Children will be identified upon entry to Thelwall Community Junior School as to their requirements for additional phonics support. Those children will receive daily sessions delivered by staff to ensure rapid progress. They will also have a matched decodable reading book as well as a book for reading for pleasure.
Teaching Reading
- Ready Steady Phonics provides matched reading books which align directly to the Ready Steady Phonics progression document. These are available on-line and/or hard copies.
- The teaching of reading takes place through:
- A Shared Read of the decodable text, led by a trained adult at some point following the Friday session.
- A Guided Read of the decodable text will take place with a trained adult.
- This book will also be used for 1:1/independent reading for consolidation and to develop confidence.
- The books cover fiction, non-fiction and rhyme.
Home reading
- The decodable reading book is taken home/access to the online reading book given.
- The children are expected to read this to an adult, practicing and consolidating their skills in phonics.
- This is monitored by the class teacher.
Reading for Pleasure and enjoyment
Improves Wellbeing:
“Reading for pleasure has social benefits as well and can make people feel more connected to the wider community. Reading increases a person’s understanding of their own identity, improves empathy and gives them an insight into the world view of others” (The Reading Agency 2015).”
Improves Academic Success
“Students with more positive attitudes towards reading are more likely to read at or above the expected level for their age” (Clark 2014)
Improves Knowledge and Understanding
“I read for pleasure and that is the moment I learn the most” Margaret Attwood - Author
At Thelwall Community Junior School, we value immensely reading for pleasure and enjoyment and we understand the value this can add to children. To encourage our children to engage with and have a love of books we:
- We have a daily, 10-minute story time. We choose a range of books for these, fiction, non-fiction and poetry, stories from other cultures, and books that reflect our local community
- All classrooms have a book corner which encourages a love of reading. The books within these areas are specifically chosen to link with topics, recently read story books etc.
- All children take home a shared book which they can choose from a selected number (guided by the teacher). This is for them to share with parents/carers to be read to and to talk about.
- There is an on-line reading record where adults log books the children read and enjoy.
- The school arranges visits from authors, poets and story tellers.
Impact
Assessment
Formative
- Daily formative assessment is built into the Ready Steady Phonics teaching sequence and the workbooks have a dedicated, daily opportunity to record formative assessment to be reinforced in the daily Ready Steady Go sessions
- The weekly Friday session allows opportunities to review and identify gaps in learning that will then be addressed in the Ready Steady Go additional sessions
- Ongoing observations of children during the phonics lesson to inform gaps in learning and broader application of phonics skills and knowledge across the curriculum
Summative
- Regular five or six weekly assessments take place as identified in the Ready Steady Phonics progression document. These weeks will be used to assess progress and identify children who need further group/individual support.
- The assessments will be shared with the Phonics Lead/SLT to narrow attainment gaps between different groups of children, with a focus on the bottom 20%. Children in Years 3-6 will be assessed through on-going formative assessment as well as through the regular Ready Steady Phonics summative assessments.