Reading at Red Hall
You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book. ~ Dr Seuss
Reading Responsibilities for Red Hall
Learning to read is one of the most important things your child will learn at our school. At Red Hall Primary School, we recognise the importance of ensuring our pupils are provided with the necessary skills that will allow them to access the world they live in, as well as promoting a true love for reading!
What is the intent of our Reading curriculum?
At Red Hall Primary School, we believe that all pupils should have the opportunity to be fluent, confident readers who are able to successfully comprehend and understand a wide range of texts. We want pupils to develop a love of reading, a good knowledge of a range of authors, and be able to understand more about the world in which they live through the knowledge they gain from texts.
How will my child be taught?
- Each child will read with a skilled adult on a weekly basis – by skilled, we mean: teachers, teaching assistants, lunchtime supervisors, busy readers and others.
- Daily Phonics sessions (for those who need it).
- Children who have completed Phonics, will complete whole class reading tasks, which will deepen their understanding.
- Weekly reading comprehensions
- Children have a weekly DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) sessions, where they will read for pleasure – staff do this too!
What experiences will the children receive in Reading?
- Children listen to a class novel read by their teacher for fifteen minutes every day.
- World Book Day is celebrated.
- Book fairs/Book Bus visit regularly giving the children to buy new books.
- Each classroom has a reading area that is filled with books suitable for their reading age. This is a comfortable place for children to read throughout the day. At Red Hall, we invest heavily in books and we are combining our mini key stage libraries into one big library for everyone!
Both KS1 and KS2 have a Reading Shed on their yards, so that during break time and lunch time, children can choose to read and relax.
- Key Information for Parents & Carers:
- Children need to read three times a week at home.
- Children take home two reading books each week. One book, is a targeted book to improve their reading ability and the other is chosen freely by the children.
How can I help?
- Reading with your child is a wonderful thing to do! Sit somewhere quiet and get lost in a book
- Ask your child questions about the book: “What do you think will happen next? Why?”, “How are the characters the same and different?”
- Promote reading on an evening, instead of playing on computer games and / or watching the television
How will my child be taught to read?
Reading is taught regularly, right through the school. It starts right at the start of school in our Two-Year-Old Provision and is promoted throughout your child’s education with us.
Initially, we teach reading skills starting in Lullaby Lane. 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.
“We’re going on a bear hunt”
Following this, pupils move on to the highly successful ‘Read Write Inc’ program in Reception. Children learn how to say, read and write sounds and letters. Once children grasp individual sounds we then focus on blending multiples sounds into words.
Starting in Reception, your child will work in groups, at their ability to learn all of the phonetic sounds. This makes up their daily Phonics session.
In Key Stage 1 and 2, the children undertake daily reading activities including class novel time, DEAR time and (when ready) the children begin whole class reading to deepen their comprehension skills.
Every child will be heard individually reading weekly by a skilled adult. We are also fortunate that each class has been given a Busy Reader (a trained adult who comes in to hear children read) so some children also get the opportunity to read to them.
All pupils also have access to a wide selection of reading materials (fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, classics , poetry etc) to choose from and take part in regular activities within their literacy sessions, promoting the reading skills which are vital to be a competent reader.
How long will it take my child to learn to read well?
All of us continue to learn to read – It is a process that never stops! In the summer term of Year 1, we carry out a reading assessment on your child known as the Phonics Screening Test. The children will read a range of pseudo and real words within the Screening Test. Any children who still require support will re-sit the Screening Test in Year 2. From this information we can work out where your child’s development is currently, and what needs to be done to move them forward.
At the end of Year 2 and Year 6, your child will then take part in National Tests which are designed to assess your child’s progress in reading. This will allow both you and the school to know exactly how well your child is reading, and identify what needs to be done to secure their ongoing progress.
Every child is different and children will learn to read at different speeds. During Year 2, most children will be able to read aloud books that are at the right level for his or her age. In Year 3 and beyond, we concentrate more on helping children to understand what they are reading, although this work begins very early on.
What does the school offer to give my child reading incentives?
At Red Hall Primary School, we have made significant investment in high quality books to encourage your child to access a range of texts suited to their own personal interests, whilst also extending their reading ability and confidence. Both the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 yards have a Reading Shed which is stocked with lovely books for those children who prefer to read at break or lunchtime. Weekly prizes are given to those who read at least three times a week. Termly prizes are given to the most consistent reader from each class.
Here are some of Reading Documents you can download:
