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Early Reading

Why learning to read is so important

 

Reading is an essential skill that enables us to access learning but also improves our chances in life. The benefits of reading are endless and a positive attitude to reading promotes academic, social and emotional success for children and adults. At Ormsgill, our aim is to create lifelong, confident and competent readers.

 

How do children learn to read?

 

Learning to read requires code-based, systematic instruction. Children learn to decode by saying sounds (phonemes) associated with letters (graphemes.) First segmenting words (breaking them into individual sounds e.g. t-i-n) children identify the sounds that make a word. Next, they blend (put the sounds back together) to read a word.

 

Through repetition, children are able to access more advanced vocabulary and become more fluent readers.

 

Reading at school

 

At Ormsgill, our pupils are taught to read using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised SSP.

 

  • Decodable texts (phonics books) are provided for children to practise their decoding skills. These books are closely matched to the level the child is working at in the classroom.
  • It is essential that children do not use other strategies to work out words (including guessing or deducing meaning from pictures)
  • Children must read books in a progressive sequence until they can decode unfamiliar words confidently.
  • Assessments are completed half-termly by teachers to ensure children are receiving additional support where necessary. Further information regarding interventions and support can be found on our Phonics tab.

 

Essentials for parents and carers

 

  • Have a positive impact on their child's reading by promoting reading for pleasure.
  • Other reading strategies must not be used (guessing words, deducing meaning from pictures, contextual clues or whole word recognition are not viable means for reading.)
  • Model the importance of reading practice to develop fluency.
  • Use voices and expression to promote the enjoyment of reading.
  • Discuss unfamiliar vocabulary, talk about pictures and predict what might happen next.
  • Give positive yet informative feedback in the child's Reading Record three times per week.

 

We recommend that children read frequently to adults at home so that they can embed the skills taught in school and establish good reading routines.

 

Each Friday, pupils will be sent home with a decodable text (appropriate for their ability) as well as a Reading for Pleasure (Core) book.

 

Phonics books MUST be returned each Monday.

 

As we endeavour to close the word gap for disadvantaged pupils, we encourage parents and carers to support child in all areas of reading. Reading to children is equally important and promotes a love of reading. Discussions around characters, settings, author's intent and preferences are vital in fostering an enjoyment of reading.

Guided Reading

 

We teach children to read through reading practice sessions three times a week. These are taught by a fully trained adult to small groups of approximately four to six children. Books are matched to the children’s secure phonic knowledge using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessments and book matching grids.

 

Each reading practice session has a clear focus so that the demands of the session do not overload the children’s working memory.

 

The reading practice sessions have been designed to focus on three key reading skills:

  • Decoding
  • Prosody: teaching children to read with understanding and expression
  • Comprehension: teaching children to understand the text. 

 

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