Reading at Randwick

Randwick Loves Reading!

Reading for Pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success.

OECD 2002

Reading for pleasure is surely the entitlement of every child – makes such a big difference and we absolutely love it here at Randwick. It is such a wonderful pleasure; you can be transported to distant lands, marvel at amazing illustrations or discover monsters hiding between the pages.

All the staff and library volunteers have a considerable knowledge of children’s literature and other texts. We have created wonderful spaces for reading in our classrooms and our “Book Nook” in the playground, we reading aloud daily (in our most animated voices), we talk about books and stories and have independent reading time. 

Our Reading Intent

At Randwick, reading lies at the very heart of our school family; reading threads through our curriculum as well as supporting spiritual development. Our reading strategy ensures all children are able to leave the Randwick as fluent, life-long readers who are ready for the next stage of their education and spiritual journey. Our approach to teaching reading is an equitable one: we secure a research informed universal provision and additional ‘targeted’ academic strategies for those children at risk of underachievement. This way we can be sure that our reading strategy is built around ensuring children enjoy learning and succeed in life. 

We believe that laying the foundations for a life-long love of reading is core to the happiness of our children and we therefore promote this across all curriculum areas using a high quality text approach. In the Early Years and Key Stage One we ensure the delivery of our Synthetics Phonics Programme (Bug Club Phonics) is supported by high quality phonetically matched books that children take home to celebrate with their families. Across EYFS, KS1 and KS2 our children will share carefully selected high quality texts linked to the school’s curriculum and writing strategy. These texts are carefully pitched using UKLA (UK Literacy Association) shortlist of recommended books, our 'Reading Spine' and research by The Book Trust amongst others. We ensure our choices include popular children’s authors, classics from our rich culture heritage and a wide range of non-fiction and poetry. In addition, all children are assessed through teacher judgments and then directed to select a book to take home and share with their families.

Developing Early Reading

Universal provision for word reading

At our school we use Bug Club systematic, synthetic phonics to teach our phonic programme. In EYFS, Year 1 and into Year 2, daily reading sessions are based around phonics programme. This promotes pupils’ phonics knowledge and decoding at word level, developing reading fluency, and using the alphabetic code to encode for spelling.  Children engage in reading a variety of Bug Club phonic books matched to the progression on a one to one basis.  Comprehension and reading for pleasure are developed through reading a whole class book and extracts linked to this text or curriculum study. We have developed a phonics first approach to teaching spelling which follows on from Bug Club Phonics. This strategy ensure the robust teaching of phonics and the alphabetic code throughout KS2.

Targeted academic support for word reading

We use Bug Club Phonics to regularly assess children’s progress in phonics. Sometimes it is necessary to provide extra support for our children with word reading. For this, we re-teach the phonetical sounds strategies and if required we provide overlearning using dyslexic friendly strategies and, for KS2, we target daily readers with a specific focus to ensure all children are able to read fluently using recall of their phonic knowledge. Teachers ensure that children at risk of underachievement have daily one to one reading which is carefully tracked.

Whole-Class Guided Reading

Universal provision for comprehension

From KS1 to Year 6, the children take part in whole-class reading sessions. A high-quality non-fiction and fiction text extract, linked to our English text, theme or a curriculum subject, is used for these sessions. These whole class reading sessions ensure a balance of reading fluency (accuracy, automaticity, prosody), discussion based learning and written comprehension. Teachers ensure a balance by covering fiction, non-fiction and poetry across each term. In KS1 teachers will spend more time on word reading and accuracy. By the time children are in UKS2, they will be focusing on prosody and responding to the text; using phonics first approach to troubleshoot accuracy when required.

Whole-class reading sessions mean that all children are immersed in the same high-quality literature and the discussions that these texts promote. The whole class can share the enjoyment of a particular text and learn from one another as well as the adults in the room. Children are organised into mixed-ability pairs so as to allow for frequent, paired discussion and collaboration. High quality inclusive teaching strategies are deployed using the EEF’s 5 a-day approach to adaptive teaching.

Our reading teaching sequence:

Targeted academic support for comprehension

At Randwick, in addition to our universal offer for teaching comprehension, we aim to ensure our children at risk of underachievement keep up and, when necessary can catch up.

Robust diagnostic assessment informs our targeted support (see Reading Assessment)

The following strategies are used for targeted academic support for comprehension:

• Nessy
• Pre-teaching vocabulary
• Daily one to one reading for meaning
• Daily reading interventions for word reading and fluency

Vocabulary

Universal provision for vocabulary

The acquisition of vocabulary is central to our approach to the teaching of reading. Teachers identify tier 2 and 3 vocabulary, and instruct meaning alongside teaching fluency. These words are then revisited through the week and term, building children’s cultural capital and allowing them to learn more and remember more.

Targeted academic support for vocabulary

Those children identified as needing extra support receive pre-teaching for vocabulary.

Reading Assessment

At Randwick, we use a carefully selected range of assessment programmes to ensure children are accurately tracked so to facilitate timely interventions.

1. Bug Club phonics tracking spreadsheets
2. Insight to track phonics and reading comprehension data supported by ongoing teacher assessment and our Pira assessment approach (3 times per year at the end of Autumn, Spring and Summer term)

Reading for pleasure

Reading for pleasure principles are embedded into our approach to teaching reading. Reading aloud and informal book talk is used to share the class book on a daily basis.  These texts are pitch slightly higher than the most able readers in the class and link to the schools English curriculum.

• Year 6 reading buddies
• Weekly library sessions
• Story time at the end of every day for all classes

Library

We are fortunate to have a fully functioning library at the heart of our school. The children visit it on a weekly basis to exchange books and spend time reading. Our parent volunteers support our use of the library and ensuring all children have the opportunity to access the wealth of high quality texts that we have in school.

We actively support parents to reading for pleasure at home. We run a number of initiatives across the school year:

• World Book Day
• Termly reading challenges and rewards
• Reading buddies
• Outdoor reading areas
• Dressing up as book characters
• Engaging reading environments
• Year 6 Reading Ambassadors

Reading is better together.

Parents and the home is where it all starts, and hopefully never ends. Sharing a good book is the greatest pleasure and a shared experience will always be worth it for everyone involved.

Randwick’s Top Tips to get Reading with a Child of Any Age

 Time

Always hard to find, but that 10 minutes will be so enjoyable that it will be worth it. Find somewhere quiet without any distractions (mobile phones away) Cuddle up together knowing that for 10 minutes they have your full attention.

Child Choice

Sharing books, they have chosen shows you care what they think and that their opinion matters. Even a choice between   3 books makes them feel responsible and means they are more likely to engage with the book.

 Cuddle Up

Encourage your child to hold the book themselves and/or turn   the pages. It should feel like a special time of the day!

Pictures

If there are pictures, relate them to something your child knows. Ask them to describe the characters or situation or what will happen next. Encourage them to tell you the story by looking at the pictures. 

Talk, Talk, Talk

Talking about the characters and their dilemmas helps children understand relationships and is an excellent way for you to get to know each other or discuss difficult issues. Give your child plenty of time to respond. Ask them what will happen next, how a character might be feeling or how the book makes them feel. 

Fun, Fun, Fun

It doesn't matter how you read with a child, as long as you both enjoy the time together. Don't be afraid to use funny voices – your child will love this!

(Click the passport to see the full book list for each year group)

We have created a Reading Passport to inspire children to read the best literature available to them. Over the course of the year we would like your child to read 7 of the books from the list of 10 for their year group.

If they manage to read all 7 by the end of the year (or when they complete them) they will need to bring them back into school to receive a £5 book token. They of course can read other books throughout the year and we definitely encourage this as much as possible.

We have copies of the books in school, which children are welcome to borrow, the local library has many copies too.

The books and stories are amazing, the best the world has to offer; they could read them independently, they could be read to, they could listen on audiobook or a combination of all 3. The important thing is that they understand them, can talk about them and hopefully will enjoy them!

They will keep their passports with them all through school hopefully finishing year 6 having read 42 amazing books

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