Reading

We are about to begin working towards the UKLA/OU quality mark for Reading for Pleasure – details can be access

We sent out a reading questionnaire to parents to find out about the reading environment at home and how we can help support parents create a supportive reading environment. Here are your responses and how we intend to support:

You spoke and we listened!

50% of responding families said they were members of the local library but most visited rarely or never. To support with this, Miss Woodhouse is making links with the Dawley Library to find out how we can give children and families more links with the local library.

Reading materials that children had least access to in the home were poetry books and newspapers. In response, we are looking at setting up a lending library which is easily accessible to give children access to extra reading materials which they can browse with parents to include poetry and newspapers as well as other reading materials.

To promote a love of reading, stories, books and all things literary, Dawley Academy takes part in a number of events including:

• Ready Steady Listen – a listenathon for our Nursery children
• Ready Steady Read – a readathon for EYFS up to Year 6
• Author Visits
• School Library Class Visits
• Local Library Visits
• Pyjamarama Day (Reading for Pleasure Day)

We also have a variety of volunteers who give up their time to come in and listen to our pupils read. We are always looking for parent volunteers so if you are interested please contact the Academy office.

Curriculum Intent

English – Writing

We offer a deep and engaging English curriculum, with real life, meaningful opportunities for writing across different, age-appropriate genres with opportunities to access the written and spoken word in true life contexts as well as nurturing and encouraging creative opportunities, meeting age related requirements of the National Curriculum and allowing the individual to reach their full potential and apply their literacy skills across the broader curriculum. Every child is a writer.

English – Reading

Reading, and developing a love of reading, is paramount at Dawley Academy. Our wellstocked library, as well as class reading corners, give our children access to a wide variety of texts. We teach Guided Reading using VIPERS skills across Key Stages 1 and 2, ensuring that our children are equipped with all the necessary skills to become confident, competent readers. We endorse reading for pleasure at the Academy, believing that good readers make good writers; a successful reader can apply their reading skills in everything that they do

English – Phonics

We use Ruth Miskin RWI phonics to develop our children in the EYFS and KS1, supplying our learners with the solid foundations for word reading and spelling. Children use their Fred Fingers to plan sentences as their writing skills progress, and reading books are phonetically accessible too. Phonics is a daily lesson, taught in appropriate groupings by RWI trained teachers and TAs, giving our children opportunities to learn tricky words and their phonemes and graphemes, as well as Get Writing opportunities.

By the age of 11 it is our intent for every child to be able to:

• take pleasure in all aspects of English;
• read and write with confidence, fluency and understanding, developing a range of independent strategies to self-assess and improve;
• develop the powers of imagination, inventiveness and critical awareness;
• have an interest in books and read for enjoyment;
• have an interest in words and their meanings allowing them to develop a growing vocabulary in spoken and written forms;
• understand a range of text types and genres allowing them to write in a variety of styles and forms appropriate to the situation;
• have a suitable technical vocabulary to articulate their thinking.

Curriculum Implementation

Classroom writing situations should emphasize to the children the purpose of Writing and give the children the opportunity to write in a variety of genres and for different purposes and audiences.

Shared and modelled writing, taking place within English lessons, allows the teacher to demonstrate good writing practice to the children while using their ideas. Teachers must ensure that the writing demonstrated shows high expectations and covers the success criteria they would expect to see in the children’s writing including across the ability groups.

Reading is an important part of the English curriculum in our School. Home reading books are based on the individual’s phonics learning, and these are matched carefully. Children are also expected to read for pleasure, having use of our school library and their class library in
order to access a wide range of exciting and enriching texts. Both library and home reading books are sent home daily along with the child’s Reading Record, which is regularly checked by their class teacher.

Children in our School are encouraged to read widely and our School Library offers the children the opportunity for wider reading through the borrowing of a variety of books. The children have weekly access to the School Library which offers a wide variety of texts to capture interest.

Shared reading taking place within English lessons and guided reading will provide enriching experiences through more challenging texts. Teachers will also share stories with the class displaying an enthusiasm for reading and setting a positive example as a reader. Guided
Reading takes the form of both Whole Class reading, where children are taught an explicit reading skill, as well as a carousel of activities which give the children access to smaller group provision for reading and reading activities. Phonics is taught in Early Years Foundation Stage and Year 1/2 using the RWI program for up to 50 minutes a day

Curriculum Impact

Assessment criteria for both Reading and Writing can be found on the target sheets within the front cover of the childrens’ Reading and Writing books. This allows children to selfassess as well as strive for, and know well, their own targets. Half-termly Reading, Spelling and Grammar tests are conducted and the assessment data collated and tracked using our assessment system, DC Pro.

Teachers will also assess weekly spellings which are given out asa children’s homework. Formative assessment takes place during lessons and when marking books in the form of discussion, observation, written and oral feedback.

Teachers are set annual targets for their children’s progression and attainment as part of their performance management. Pupil progress meetings will be held half termly and assessments against the national criteria.

The statutory tests will be taken at the end of Year 2 and 6 and in EYFS assessments are carried out in September and July to monitor progress made. At the end of Year 1 the children sit the Phonics Screening Test and those who do not pass re-sit it at the end of Year 2.

Assessment is a critical part of teachers’ planning and work will be assessed in line with the Assessment Policy.

• We complete a minimum of 3 pieces of independent writing per half term.
• Writing will be margin marked and children have the opportunity to edit and improve.
• Children respond to both adult and peer assessment during the edit and improve process.
• Every child’s work is assessed against (Year group) writing grids.
• Phonics assessments are carried out half termly by phonics lead.
• PIRA to be used termly to track children’s reading ages.
• Headstart SPAG test are used in a half termly basis.

National Reading Standards

Evidence shows that children who read for pleasure do better in life no matter their social or economic background.Reading is a skill that will benefit our children for life.

The importance of parents in encouraging this is more powerful even than that of their teachers. Reading and a love of books can begin before a child sets foot in a school, and supporting this is one of the most powerful things a parent can do to set their child up for life.

Supporting parents with fostering a love of reading is something we are passionate about.

The Literacy Company has created a Reading Spine for parents, which lists ten books or authors that every child at that stage should read. Discuss books with your child, read together and encourage a culture of reading for pleasure at home.

Support with Nursery and Early Years Reading

At Dawley Academy we see the partnership between school and home as paramount in supporting children’s reading. As a team, we can work together to best support your child and build strong foundations for a successful future.

The National Literacy Trust offers guidance for children from birth onwards, encouraging “Words for Life” with guidance ranging from birth, detailing milestones and giving activities to support parents, all the way up to 12 years of age.

Below are links to recommended reading lists for each of the year groups, 1-6

Websites

These are some websites parents can use to play games, find reading material and online books, and explore other activities for supporting reading at home to give your child the best foundation for learning for life.

Each classroom has a welcoming and well stocked library area which is added to regularly using pupil voice and age appropriate selected books.

Children have access to First News, which is a weekly newspaper aimed at children.