‘Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Reading
Reading statement of intent
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At Thatcham Park, it is our aim to support all pupils in developing their reading ability in order to enable them to become enthusiastic and motivated readers. We aim to encourage a love of literature and an enjoyment of reading for pleasure. We are committed to ensuring that children have the skills that they need to decode words, in order to be able to read fluently with an understanding of what they have read. This means that we prioritise reading above other curriculum provision. We develop children’s confidence when approaching, reading and discussing a wide variety of genres and text types and use reading to provoke thought and debate. |
Our English reading curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Are phonetically secure and able to apply their skills to decode text. Through daily small group teaching in KS1 and EYFS (and into KS2 if appropriate), we provide opportunities to revise sounds and learn new ones, practising applying their skills in structured but engaging sessions.
- Have a high level of comprehension ability which enables them to fully understand and discuss what they have read, applying new factual knowledge to their wider life where appropriate.
- Use reading to widen and consolidate their vocabulary and understanding of the world, with opportunities to explore new words and discover how new pieces of information fit with previous knowledge.
- Develop a love of reading for pleasure through the provision of a range of challenging and enriching texts. We prioritise time for children to read both independently, in a small group and as part of a whole class. All children have daily opportunities to read a variety of material in school, including regularly with an adult. We ensure that the children have regular opportunities to read books at the correct phonetic level as well as texts that challenge them.
- Are part of a Whole School Reading Culture, where all stakeholders are enthusiastic and engaged in regular high quality reading opportunities.
- Use reading as a springboard to debate and philosophical thought, referring to facts and ideas encountered during personal or class reading to support arguments and opinions and explain thought processes.
Phonics
At Thatcham Park, we take a systematic approach to phonics teaching for decoding and encoding, both in discrete sessions, following the Read, Write Inc programme, and across the curriculum, encouraging further application of developing phonics learning. As children become emerging and fluent readers, we focus on reading in greater depth as critical readers, discussing, appreciating and exploring texts across the curriculum and to inform development in writing throughout all curriculum areas.