Reading & Phonics

Reading

At St Mary's we believe that reading is an essential skill and we aim to develop and encourage a love of books and reading so that by the time your child leaves St Mary's they are able to read with confidence and pleasure. The two areas that are essential for this are:

1. Word Reading: Good early phonics-based teaching of word-decoding skills. This helps children to recognise and understand the sounds that letter combinations make and to recognise and decode words.
2. Comprehension: Supporting and encouraging children to engage with reading through book talk and discussion about text.

Fluent readers can access a full range of life experiences and can enjoy an amazing breadth of genres and writers. It is our moral obligation and passion to ensure that ALL children can access all areas of the curriculum and pursue topics which interest them. In order to achieve this, reading and writing skills are developed through a high-quality text based approach.

Exploration - Children will explore a wide range of literature including fiction, poetry, drama and non-fiction texts.

Co-operation - Children will share their reading adventures with others - discussing and exchanging ideas, making recommendations and sharing their views through talk and writing.

Communication - Children will express their creative ideas through a range of talk, debate and drama opportunities.

Innovation - Children will learn to reflect on what they read, bringing their knowledge of a wide range of texts to make interpretations and judgements about what they read and and use their reading as a stimulus for writing.

Click here to view our Progression in Reading document.

Phonics

Phonics is taught throughout the school using 'Bug Club Phonics' which ensures systematic coverage and progression. 

It is taught in groups, led either by the class teacher or by a trained teaching assistant, and focuses on the recognition of pure letter sounds and how to read and write these.

At this stage in their learning, children bring home books linked to the phonic stage at which they are working.

The children are assessed regularly to ensure that they are in the appropriate group for supporting and extending their individual needs. Year 1 children take part in statutory Phonics Screening during the summer term and parents are informed of their child's achievement at the end of the school year.

Phonics Screening Check

Find out more in our Phonics Policy