Reading

Research shows that children who read for pleasure on a daily basis develop a wider vocabulary, greater general knowledge and a far better understanding of other cultures. It is perhaps one of the single most important factors in a child’s development and we aim to get children reading confidently and fluently as quickly as possible so they can make the transition from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’ as well as developing a love of books and discovering the pleasure of reading to become life-long readers.

Our reading curriculum is delivered through a combination of synthetic phonics,  shared and guided reading, home reading, reading across the curriculum, regular opportunities for independent reading and hearing quality texts read aloud every day. All of these are essential components as they offer the range of opportunities needed to develop fluent, enthusiastic and critical readers.In Early Years and Key Stage 1, the development of reading begins with the systematic and rigorous teaching of daily phonics, using the Sounds-Write scheme. Children will bring home a book matched to their assessed phonic stage. This decodable book will allow them to apply and practise their phonic knowledge independently when reading. Children in Reception and Year 1 also take home a ‘reading for pleasure’ book. This book allows other reading strategies to be employed and children are exposed to a greater range of vocabulary and genres.

As children move into Year 2, reading is supported using the Accelerated Reader program. This program assesses children on their comprehension skills on a regular basis, through the ‘Star Reading Test', which then gives the individual a targeted reading range (ZPD). This range gives children the opportunity to choose a book that interests them and that will also continue to support them in their reading progress. Every time a child finishes a book, they take a short online quiz to check their understanding. Points are awarded for each quiz passed and children earn certificates for the number of words read.

Accelerated Reader also contains a feature called Home Connect, which can be accessed outside of school from any computer with an internet connection. Home Connect allows you to view information about your child’s progress and allows you to sign up to receive email notifications after they complete an activity or assessment at school.

To log in to Home Connect Website please use this link    Home Connect

You will then need to enter your child’s Accelerated Reader username and password.

You can also visit the AR BookFinder™ at www.arbookfind.co.uk to conduct a search of all available books with AR quizzes.