English

'Reading is the one ability, that once set in motion, has the ability to feed itself, grow exponentially and provide a basis from which possibilities are limitless.'

Michael Morpurgo

We are a Reading School

We therefore:

Promote a love of reading and books at every opportunity. Our displays reflect this and are evident in classrooms and corridors. Our children access the school library and are encouraged to join their local library. Our staff read to children every day – they are advocates for reading.
Have a rigorous and a consistent approach to phonics. Staff receive regular CPD to inform good practice and to ensure that the teaching of phonics is consistent. We aim to ensure pupils master the phonic code through a whole school approach to teaching early reading and writing, designed to ensure progress for every child.
Have a consistent approach for children who fall behind. We assess regularly and we ensure children only move up phonics groups/book bands when they are ready.
Have a ‘read it and understand it’ approach in Early Years and KS1. We plan comprehension activities as much as phonics because we understand that children need both skills to be an effective reader.
Use VIPERS to promote children’s articulation of the key reading skills apart from phonics.
Use a rotation timetable between reciprocal reading sessions and whole class shared reads with activities linked to the texts.
Use a variety of high quality texts and resources so that children are exposed to a rich and varied vocabulary.
Keep detailed records which have comments linked to the reading competencies being taught. Reading records are used to promote regular reading at home and to share feedback with parents and children to support home reading.
Link our reading explicitly to writing skills (this may be through displays, learning journeys and follow up activities which promote writing based on reading).

Reading in EYFS and KS1

From entry into Reception and through to the end of KS1 children will progress through their set 1, set 2 and set 3 sounds in phonics and read the following RWI book sets. This table shows the progress of an ‘average’ child as they progress through the RWI phonics programme.

When considering whether your child is ready to move up to the next RWI book colour (and set of taught sounds), we consider their word reading (6 weekly cycle of phonics assessments, decoding) and their comprehension skills. This includes their ability to answer questions within their RWI book and their ability to answer VIPERS questions during reading sessions. The use of reciprocal reading roles are introduced using puppets in Reception - Year 2.

You can find out more about how we use RWI to teach phonics at St Cleer in the document below.

RWI games, resources and VIPERs reading comprehension documents can also be found at the bottom of this page.

Reading in KS2

When considering whether a child is ready to move up to the next book band we consider their decoding skills and their comprehension skills. In Key Stage 2 (once your child has reached the end of the RWI phonics programme), they will progress through the following book bands - gold, white, lime, brown, grey, dark blue and dark red.

In KS2 we also take on reciprocal reading roles to further our understanding of the texts we are reading and to help each other as our reading comprehension skills flourish and grow. We do this during whole class and group guided reading sessions, with the following roles: Predictor, Clarifier, Summariser, Questioner, and Big Boss. A document explaining these roles can be found at the bottom of the page. We use a whole class reading approach incorporating modelled fluency, shared reading, choral reading and independent reading.

In both key stages children can earn Reading Karate bands for reading more at home, resulting in a chance to accumulate a rainbow of wrist bands!

Research shows that it is the combination of quality guided reading sessions, together with shared text or whole class reading lessons that has the highest impact in terms of a child’s progress in reading. This is our approach at St Cleer to ensure that good progress in reading is achieved for all.

Early Reading

It is crucial that children develop a life-long love of reading and this starts in the early years. An enticing well-stocked book corner, plenty of shared stories, nursery rhymes and songs and the early introduction of phonics in a fun and interactive way are some of the ways we support early reading and encourage a passion for stories. Our children also have the opportunity to tell their own stories and listen to each others ideas using Pie Corbett approaches. The reading adventure begins!

Reading in KS1

Daily phonics and taught reading, whole class reading sessions and high quality engaging texts for English lessons enable our children to develop their reading skills. A well stocked library with books to share at home gives our children access to an even wider range of fiction and non-fiction books. Daily shared stories and poems read by class teachers, teaching assistants (and our friends in KS2), help kindle a love of stories and inspire budding storytellers.

Reading in KS2

Daily reading activities during our whole class reading sessions, good quality whole class shared texts, the application of VIPERS skills across the wider curriculum, and a well stocked library ensure our children make at least good progress in reading and are given opportunities to lose themselves in a good book. We hope their passion for reading will stay with them through their secondary school education and for the rest of their lives!

'Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible.' - Barack Obama

Writing

The programmes of study for writing at key stages 1 and 2 are constructed similarly to those for reading:

- transcription (spelling and handwriting)

- composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing)

The teaching at St Cleer Academy develops pupils’ competence in these two dimensions.

In addition, pupils are taught how to plan, revise and evaluate their writing. These aspects of writing are incorporated into the National Curriculum programmes of study for composition.

Writing down ideas fluently depends on effective transcription: that is, on spelling quickly and accurately through knowing the relationship between sounds and letters (phonics) and understanding the morphology (word structure) and orthography (spelling structure) of words.

Effective composition involves forming, articulating and communicating ideas, and then organising them coherently for a reader. This requires clarity, awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Writing also depends on fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy handwriting.

At St Cleer, we use the principles of the storytelling approach for some units. The skills and knowledge being taught in each unit are displayed visually for the children on a ‘Learning Journey’ in their books and in the classroom. The mapped skills and knowledge are taken from the National Curriculum and are assessed regularly against the progression of skills exemplified in the Evidence Gathering Grids (Devon Planning and Assessment materials).