Reading

We are a “Get Reading. Keep Reading. Change Everything.” school.

Our wonderful library

We use the highly successful Read Write Inc. Phonics programme to teach our children to read, write and spell. At Holy Trinity Primary Academy and Nursery we implement the program with fidelity and passion – we know what it takes to make literacy pleasurable and rewarding for our children. To visit the parent pages on Ruth Miskin go to: https://ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/ To visit Oxford Owl (more resources to support your child) go to: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/read-write-inc-phonics-guide/ What is Read Write Inc? Read Write Inc (RWI) is a systematic, synthetic phonics  programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling.  The programme is designed for children aged 4-7.

How do we prepare Nursery children for phonics?

Please see the document below which outlines how we prepare for Phonics teaching before children join the Reception class: Nursery Phonics overview Phonics teaching begins when your child starts their Reception year. How will RWI be taught? All children are assessed regularly by our RWI lead teacher so they work with children at the same level. This allows complete participation in lessons. When using Read Write Inc. to read the children will:

• Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts.
• learn to read words using Fred Talk.
• read lively stories featuring words they have learned to sound out.
• show that they comprehend the stories by answering questions.

As soon as your child is  able to blend, children will being home a RWI Phonics reading book  which is matched to the sounds they have previously been taught. Children are encouraged to re-read their books to ensure accuracy, fluency and understanding (comprehension). Here is a video which demonstrates how the sounds are pronounced:

Reception In Reception all children will learn how to ‘read’ and ‘write’ all of the sounds in Set 1 and then taught how to blend these into words. Fred the frog helps the children to blend the sounds together which is then used to help children read. The teachers will often use the phrase ‘Fred talk’ to sound out words.

Meet Fred. Fred talk helps children read unfamiliar words by pronouncing each sound in the word one at a time.

The children take part in lessons every day progressing to reading books by the end of the Summer term. They also learn how to spell red words (words that cannot be sounded out) and 3/4 letter words during these lessons.  In order to ensure that all children reach their reading potential we have identified those who  will benefit from additional adult intervention. Set 1 Sounds are taught in the following order together with rhymes to help children form the letters correctly and instantly recognise sounds ready for blending.     Click below to download the rhymes for letter formation: rhymes-for-letter-formation Click the link below to watch an informative video on Set 1 sounds: https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/reading-owl/find-a-book/read-write-inc-phonics–1/set-1-sound-phonics-video Click the link below to watch an informative video on 2 letters, 1 sound: https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/reading-owl/find-a-book/read-write-inc-phonics–1/two-letters-one-sound-phonics-video Year One & Year Two Children follow the same format as Reception but will work on complex sounds (Set 2 and 3 sounds) and read books which closely match previously taught sounds. Daily sessions of RWI phonics last for one 40 minutes.  Once children become fluent speedy readers they will move onto taught reading comprehension sessions. Speed Sounds Sets 2 and 3: The long vowels: Once your child knows all Set 1 sounds by sight and sound and uses them to blend to read words, we start teaching Set 2 initially and then Set 3 long vowel sounds. Your child will need to learn that most vowel sounds have more than one spelling. There are 12 Set 2 ‘speed sounds’ that are made up of two or three letters which represent just one sound, e.g. ay as in play, ee as in tree and igh as in high. It is important that your child does not pronounce these as 2 or 3 separate sounds. When your child sees the ‘speed sound’ letters together in a word, they must say just one sound for these letters. Set 2 Set 3 Fresh Start Children in Key Stage 2 who need support with their phonics are selected to join this group and receive an additional  daily phonics intervention to support their reading and writing.

Further information and resources:

set_1_parent_booklet1 reading-at-home-booklet-for-parents reading-at-home-for-parents-book-2 Parent information booklets in other languages: Bulgarian: rwi_bulgarian 1 rwi_bulgarian 2 Romanian: rwi_romanian 1 rwi_romanian 2 Polish: rwi_polish 1 rwi_polish 2   simple-speed-sounds-chart complex-speed-sounds-chart rwi-set-1-a7-mini-flashcards rwi-set-2-a7-mini-flashcards Set+3+Flashcards Click on the link below to see a sample phonics session led by Mrs Thompstone for each of the 44 sounds. These can be accessed by clicking on the Set 1, Set 2 or Set 3 sound chart and selecting. Virtual Phonics Click on the link below to find a series of stories and poems which your child can listen to. Virtual Library   Reading The teaching of reading forms part of our English Curriculum. We aim to promote high standards of reading through clear progressive planning and effective teaching. Reading is an essential life skill that provides access to the experiences of people from different cultures and times. Children must acquire good reading skills in order to access the information that will support their development in all curriculum areas. Reading Intent At Holy Trinity CE Primary Academy, we want to foster a lifelong love of reading by exposing our children to various literature across all curriculum areas. We believe reading opens up a new world for children and gives them the opportunity to explore new ideas, visit new places, meet new characters and develop a better understanding of other cultures.  Through building up the children’s vocabulary it gives them the word power they need to become successful speakers and writers as well as confident readers. Reading is a key life skill and we strive to embed a culture of reading into the core of what we do. Providing opportunities for children to read both independently and aloud as well as allowing them the chance to discuss and recommend books they have read to their peers. Reading and quality literature is implicitly interwoven into our curriculum through the use of key texts to expose our children to various genres and famous authors and to enhance the variety of exciting topics that we teach. Implementation. Reading is a vital skill that will support children’s learning across the whole curriculum. As a school, we will ensure that our children are taught to read with fluency, accuracy and understanding through a variety of discreet and cross-curricular learning opportunities. Above all, we want children in our school to become enthusiastic, independent and reflective readers. Essentially, we want children to enjoy reading. Reading is taught regularly, right through school from Nursery. Children begin their reading journey in Nursery where they start to introduce RWI Phonics. This concentrates on developing speaking and listening skills and has an emphasis on enabling children to become attuned to the sounds around them whilst developing the skills of oral blending. In Nursery, this is a time where pupils are given an opportunity to familiarise themselves with books. Pupils learn how to hold a book the right way, how to turn pages, how to explore pictures, and are exposed to hearing stories – all vitally important skills to begin the reading journey. Within Reception, reading is taught through both literacy-focussed activities based on books and through specific teaching of the Read Write Inc. phonics programme. Once children complete the RWI phonics programme they have explicit Reading Comprehension sessions. Individual Readers At Holy Trinity, every child is heard read individually by an adult at least once a week in school the frequency is dependent on the child’s ability and engagement of parents at home. During these individual reading sessions children are heard read a chosen book which is matched to the child’s ability, with some degree of difficulty – in any page there should be a couple of words which provide challenge. Children who have been identified as needing support to improve their reading are targeted for additional reading whenever possible. Every child has a reading record/diary and an individual reading book. All adults encourage the children to decipher unknown text for themselves – using the strategies taught in class. Key Stage 2. Children who no longer need phonically decodable books from our RWI scheme are able to choose books based on their ‘Star Reader ‘ assessment, this provides each child with a ‘range’ of suitable books to choose from. They complete an online test using Accelerated Reader when they have read each book. Children complete half termly Star Tests, to ensure that reading books are suitable. The Book is the hook High quality texts are planned into the curriculum from Reception  to Year  6 and are embedded into the reading routines across the year with a book focus for each unit of writing following the ‘Pathways to Write’ scheme.     Reading for pleasure. At Holy Trinity in order to instil a love of reading we encourage all pupils to read a wide range of texts-of their choice. Children will have the opportunity to bring home a ‘Reading for pleasure’ book to share with parents and carers. Each class is allocated a dedicated time to access our main school library. Impact Through the teaching of systematic phonics, our aim is for children to become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage One. This way, children can focus on developing their fluency and comprehension as they move through the school. Attainment in reading is measured using the statutory assessments at the end of Key Stage One and Two. These results are measured against the reading attainment of children nationally. Attainment in phonics is measured by the Phonics Screening Test at the end of Year 1. However, we firmly believe that reading is the key to all learning and so the impact of our reading curriculum goes beyond the results of the statutory assessments. We give all children the opportunity to enter the magical worlds that books open up to them. We promote reading for pleasure as part of our reading curriculum. Children are encouraged to develop their own love of genres and authors and to review their books objectively. This enhances a deep love of literature across a range of genres, cultures and styles.

Reading scheme names

RWI Phonics Accelerated Reader Please click here for a link to these pages.

Holy Trinity Reading Spine