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St Faith St Martin Church of England Junior School

We believe that reading is a fundamental skill for all children to access all aspects of the curriculum. Children will be taught to read with prosody (meaning, stress and intonation), develop fluency when ready for a variety of genres, and advance comprehension skills to comprehend what they have read and to read for pleasure to become life-long learners, who love to read! 

Excellence 
Ensure excellence in teaching and learning environments, through varied guided reading sessions, access to a variety of reading-for-pleasure books in our class and school library and levelled books to promote every child’s word reading and comprehension skills.  

Encouragement 
Create a positive, nurturing atmosphere where everyone feels happy, safe and valued, where consistent encouragement, praise and effective feedback lead to success and development in reading.  We want all children, regardless of ability, to have access to various books, from classic fiction texts to science-based non-fiction texts. 

Exploration 
To explore new, exciting texts which challenge and stimulate our minds and encourage children to discuss, review and share reading experiences with peers and all adults in school.  

Phonics 

By Year 3, most pupils have completed and passed their phonics reading check.  For any pupils requiring more support in this area, we use Read Write Inc to support pupils who still require phonics support. Read Write Inc is a systematic, synthetic phonics programme created by Ruth Miskin and has had great success in developing children’s phonological awareness and promoting word reading. Children requiring phonics support will work in small groups to receive targeted support and ensure rapid progress. Their progress is closely monitored to ensure they receive exactly what they need to succeed and become fluent readers. 

What can you do to support your child’s reading? 

  • Read as often as you can, even if it is 5 -10 minutes. The more a child reads, the more vocabulary they take in.  Your child will bring home a 'book bag book' that will practice the sounds they have been learning.  Reading this more than once will support your child's fluency and encourage them to use a storyteller voice.

  • Take it turns reading both of your favourite books - being read to can develop a child’s understanding of expression and intonation. 

  • Ask questions about what they have read to see if they have comprehended the text.