1 to 1 Reading
All children in our academy are provided with books to take home and read with their families.
Reading Schemes
If a child is accessing the phonics programme, they will take home a book that has been carefully matched to their phonics ability allowing them to practise and consolidate their learning at home. For the majority of children, this is known as a Read Write Inc ‘Book Bag Book’. For children accessing the Fresh Start phonics programme, additional copies of the anthologies used within lessons have been purchased to allow these children to read text at their level yet appropriate for their age.
Children who have surpassed the phonics scheme move on to the Oxford Reading Tree scheme. A broad range of books are offered to the children including: classic texts, myths and legends, novels by top children’s authors, poetry, graphic novels and plays, each suited to their reading ability.
By the end of year 4, some of our most able pupils will have reached the end of the reading scheme. For these pupils, it is important to keep them interested and challenged. These children progress onto our ‘What Next?’ selection– a list of 75 fantastic books designed to engage, challenge and open their eyes to different works of fiction and non-fiction.
Titles on the ‘What Next List’ include:
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Eren by Simon P Clarke
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien
The Harry Potter Series
The Guinness Book of World Records
A Black Woman Did That! by Malaika Adero
Staff listen to our children read on a 1:1 basis regularly. It is expected that parents and carers support their children by listening to them read a minimum of 3x a week. Children are provided with a book bag and a reading record. Teachers check reading records weekly and use them for communication with parents about their child’s reading. Staff change reading books at least weekly, with opportunities for children to change their books more often should this be required.
Reading for Pleasure
It is vital that our children are able to experience a wide range of books chosen by themselves. Alongside the scheme book, our children take home a book to enjoy with their families. This book is a free choice and not linked to a child’s reading ability. Some may choose a harder book for an adult to read to them, others an easier book to share with a younger sibling. It is the child’s choice! Right from nursery our children are encouraged to make their own choices about what book they would like to take home for pleasure. Our teachers help the children in making choices, guiding them towards books and authors they might enjoy.
We add to our Reading for Pleasure libraries each year to ensure they are up to date with the newest releases!
