Reading

 

At Hope Brook the teaching of phonics and reading is prioritised, especially in Reception. Throughout the school we aim to foster a love of reading by developing a culture of books, vocabulary and reading.

In our school our approach to teaching reading is varied: the children are involved in regular guided reading sessions where the text is discussed and children’s understanding checked, phonic groups, and hearing children read individually. We also have home/school reading record books and we encourage parents to support their children’s reading at home. Our expectation is that parents read with their children most days of the week.

 

Foundation Stage -Reception

Children in Reception will begin by learning a sound a day, with a special action, and will quickly learn to blend these sounds together. We use the scheme Unlocking Letters and Sounds which was validated by the DfE in December 2021. Short, focused, daily phonics sessions are crucial in developing these reading skills, but supporting children to become independent readers who love reading is undoubtedly our ultimate goal. 

Key Stage One
 
In year 1 and 2 children continue to experience reading in a variety of groupings, shared, guided and individual. They also work daily on their phonic knowledge in year groups. Reading books are taken home every day. Guided reading takes place weekly, and children take part in a variety of activities to support and develop their phonics, reading and comprehension of texts. 

Liaison with Parents

Parents are invited to school on their child’s entry so that they can learn our approach to reading. We use home/school reading diaries where parents can comment on their child’s reading progress. There are notes to guide parents to support their children with their reading and spelling included on this website. Our expectation is that parents read with their children most nights. Parents are also encouraged to help their children learn their spellings on a regular basis.

As well as teaching reading skills to children, we want our children to love to read and have access to great resources. We know our parents are keen to support their children's reading and often ask us about which books their children should be reading. We believe the following website offers some very helpful guidance.

                         https://www.lovereading4schools.co.uk

lovereading4schools is a website that provides lots of helpful information about books. It sets out recommended reads for each year group - providing a summary of each story and letting children 'try out' a book by reading an extract. Links to the book lists can be found lower down this page.

The site is set up to help parents purchase books - so that option is available to you if you choose to use that facility.