When our children leave St Thomas, we expect them to be avid readers, children who read fluently and widely and are able to express preferences and opinions about the texts that they read. We want them to read for pleasure, having had access to a wide range of text types, genres and authors in order for them to make informed opinions about their favourites. We want to produce children who write with confidence and accuracy for a variety of purposes and audiences whilst developing their own individual flair. We want our children to be able to write with grammatical accuracy and be able to apply spelling patterns correctly using a neat handwriting style. We aim to expose our children to a wide range of vocabulary so that they able to decipher new words and then use them when speaking both informally and formally.

We also aim for our children to apply all of these English skills to all areas of the curriculum.

At St Thomas we see literacy as one of the vehicles which allow children to express themselves creatively and imaginatively as well as allowing them to be transported to other worlds and times. It is our intent that our children leave our school as confident individuals who can read and write and speak in order to convey and express themselves accurately and meaningfully. The intent for this subject is supported and informed by current national
guidance on best practice, in-service training, staff discussion and professional judgement.

• The children become avid, fluent readers who read a wide range of text types, genres and authors for pleasure and for their own information. They can use what they read to form opinions and comment confidently on what they have read.

• We want to produce children who write with confidence and accuracy for a variety of purposes and audiences whilst developing their own individual flair. We want our children to be able to write with grammatical accuracy and be able to apply spelling patterns correctly using a neat handwriting style.
• We aim for our children to become confident speakers and listeners and aim to give them as many opportunities to speak and perform In order for them to become confident we want to expose our children to a wide range of vocabulary so that they able to decipher new words and then use them when speaking both informally and formally.
• We want our children to apply the English skills they have learnt in all curriculum areas= so they can flourish in all subjects.

In more detail below, is our intent, implementation and impact for reading.

At St Thomas we regard reading as one of the greatest gifts we can give to our pupils. It allows them to venture into another world, find out things they haven’t even imagined, learn facts about the world in which we live and give them the opportunity to flourish in their future lives. The best gift however is for a child to experience the sheer delight of reading for itself.

At St Thomas we aim to create a love of reading which will enable our children to become lifelong readers.
We believe as our mission statement states: all children’s self- esteem and potential should be developed to the full. With this in mind, we encourage all children to be the best readers they can possibly be so they can achieve their full potential in life. We welcome parents as partners in helping children not only learn to read but also encourage them to enjoy reading with their children.

‘’Evidence suggests that there is a positive relationship between reading frequency, reading enjoyment and attainment.” (Clark 2011; Clark and Douglas 2011).

Our aim is that children are encouraged to read frequently and hear stories read to them frequently by an adult
We also aim to teach the children the skills of reading so they can: Read easily, fluently and with good understanding Develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information Appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage

Reading in the Early years

We believe this is where the love of reading begins. The children are introduced to rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, stories and songs which promote the early stages of reading. Both Nursery and Reception have a story session every day and have access to books and book corners. In Reception the children are introduced to a key book every week which is linked to their topic or genre. This is the starting point of their week’s learning.

In Reception, the children begin their reading journey by taking home non word books with extended stories so that the children hear the story read by their parents who are encouraged to enjoy sharing the book together. Once the children have learnt their first few sounds and have developed their blending skills they begin to read on Oxford Reading Tree’s little blending books and ORT decodable reading scheme. They are encouraged to progress at pace and are heard individually to read once a week as well as one guided reading session per week. The phonics scheme also provides many opportunities to read throughout the lesson. The children take a little blending book home as well as a decodable book and library book. Parents are advised on how to read with their child in order to develop skills and understanding.

The home school reading record is an important link for the parents and teachers to communicate about their child’s progress. In school reading records are kept to ensure that reading progress is tracked.

Teaching of Phonics

At St Thomas’ we use ELS phonics scheme for the teaching of phonics. Nursery complete phase 1 of the scheme working on body sounds, environmental sounds, rhyme and rhythm oral blending and initial letter sounds. Reception and Year 1 have a 30 min phonics session per day. Children are expected to move at pace. Each lesson follows the pattern of: Revisit and review, Teach, Practise and Apply. Those children who find phonics difficult and are targeted for intervention so not to fall behind. Those that need to revisit are given the opportunity to do so by small group and 1-1 intervention. Assessment is completed at the end of wk5 of each half term to allow teachers to teach and revisit those sounds that the children have missed.

KS1 Reading

At Key Stage 1 children continue their learning journey and are encouraged to become independent readers. The children have 1 guided reading session per week which is closely linked to their phonics ability and sounds that they have learnt. The guided reading scheme encourages children to learn the comprehension skills they need and the ability to develop a deeper understanding of the text by using metacognitive strategies as well as developing
their vocabulary. They are encouraged to read their school reader at home with their parents and the home school diary again is a key tool in which parents communicate with teachers and vice versa. The children are encouraged to read for pleasure and take home a library book to share with their parents. In year 2, as home readers, the children read decodable books until they move off the phonics scheme when they are encouraged to read a range of reading material at their own band level according to ability. The children also have one guided reading session a week with an adult where comprehension and vocabulary are developed as well as independent reading in lesson times.

KS2 Reading

At Ks2 the children develop a greater understanding of how to read not only for pleasure but in order to research information. We use the LAPS scheme which is designed with very specific learning objectives ensuring that children are taught the skills they need to develop as fluent and purposeful readers, being able to delve into a text and read with deeper meaning and understanding and developing knowledge of vocabulary. Guided comprehension is taught alongside guided reading ensuring the children are able to respond in written form to questions posed. This material is challenging and thought provoking for the children.

Parental involvement

Parents are encouraged from the beginning to become involved with the children’s reading. Meetings are held at the beginning of Reception and the reading scheme is explained and advice is given on how to help their children become fluent readers. They are helped to understand how to say the phonemes and how to develop questioning techniques to aid their children’s understanding. Home school reading records are given to every child and parents are encouraged to write in them and communicate how the children are progressing and the teacher take the
opportunity to feed back where appropriate. Parents and grandparents come into school on a daily basis to hear children read. Children enjoy this interaction and are keen to be chosen to go read either at the beginning of the
day or at the end. (Pre-COVID)

Reading for Pleasure

The children are encouraged to read for pleasure, to gain knowledge and relaxation. They have the opportunity to go to our school’s library and choose their own book. Younger children are encouraged to take a book home form the library to share with their parents. We are proud that our school has won the School’s Library Reading Challenge for the past 6 years. We encourage children to share what their class is reading by putting the book cover
on the classroom door for others to talk about and discuss.

Assessment

Assessment is ongoing. In Reception and Year1 and where applicable at Year 2, phonics is assessed regularly every 5th week and any child who have missed certain sounds are targeted and given extra practise through teacher and TA support. Those pupils who need more practise at reading are given opportunity to do so by 1-1 intervention. In

We believe that reading is key to all learning, the impact of our reading curriculum goes beyond the result of statutory assessments. Children have the opportunity to enter the wide and varied magical worlds that reading opens up to them. As they develop their own interest in books, a deep love of literature across a range of genres cultures and styles is enhanced. As well as this, the ability to read for knowledge and developing interest.
Through the teaching of systematic phonics and reading enquiry, our aim is for children to become fluent and confident readers who can apply their knowledge and experience to a range of texts through the Key Stage 2 curriculum. As a Year 6 reader, transitioning into secondary school, we aspire that children are fluent, confident and able readers, who can access a range of texts for pleasure and enjoyment, as well as use their reading skills to unlock learning and all areas of the curriculum. We firmly believe that reading is the key to all learning and so the impact of our reading curriculum goes beyond the results of the statutory assessments.
Because we believe in our partnership with parents we give the parents the help and support and information to help their children become fluent readers. Nearly all Key stage 2 children will achieve their age related expectations with a high percentage achieving higher.