Reading at Lordship Lane

Aims

Learning to read is among the most important things that children learn at primary school. We aim to ensure that all children learn to read fluently, understand what they are reading well and develop a love of reading that will stand them in good stead not only secondary school, but for their lives beyond too.

Early Reading

A strong understanding of phonics (how letters in writing combine to represent sounds in speech) is essential to early reading. We use a highly structured approach called ReadWriteInc to teach phonics from reception up to year 2, and into key stage 2 where necessary.

Parents are updated about which sounds children learn in phonics each week via Seesaw. Children will also bring home ReadWriteInc books which contain the sounds children have been learning in school. It is important that children always read these books to gain extra practice in using their phonics at home.

In addition to phonics teaching, children benefit from daily ReadWriteInc reading sessions in which they read with books matched to the phonic sounds they are learning. This is a highly structured approach to teaching reading which supports children in understanding what they are reading and ensures children regularly have the opportunity to read with an adult.

Developing Readers

In key stage 2, we use an approach called Destination Reader to teach reading. This approach gives children extensive practice of reading while the teacher can provide enough support to enable the children to read books that might be too challenging for them to read independently.

We have chosen the books the children read extremely carefully to ensure they provide the best reading diet possible. Over key stage 2, children read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction genres (including fantasy, historical fiction, classic fiction, comedy, poetry and autobiography). In addition, the writers and characters come from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, reflecting the diversity of our school. It is important that children are presented books that offer a window on the world.  This is in terms of themes, social interactions and cultural practices that will not only allow for them to discuss in the school community but give them the essential knowledge to be educated citizens within society.  Use the link to the text map below to find out more about the books children read in each year group.

Book Spine

In addition to the books we read in school, there are six books that children are expected to read during the course of each year group in key stage 2. Once again, we have been careful in selecting these books to provide a very wide range of books, a number of which children might not ordinarily choose for themselves.

Helping at Home

Reading with your child is one of the most important things parents can do to support their children's learning. A combination of listening to your child read, asking them questions about their reading and allowing them to enjoy hearing you read to them is the most beneficial.