South Petherton C of E Infants and Pre-School Reading Curriculum

A reader at South Petherton C of E Infants is a pupil who is on a learning journey to acquire the skills and knowledge in order to read with fluency and comprehension that allows them to unlock the wider curriculum.

Pupils at South Petherton C of E Infants see themselves as readers and, through carefully planned and sequenced learning opportunities and an ambitious curriculum, they read widely as part of their learning as well as developing a love for reading.

At South Petherton C of E Infants and Pre-School reading is always a top priority and a key driver for our curriculum.  To enable pupils to achieve their best, we acknowledge the need for a robust phonics programme. Therefore, we are a Read Write Inc. School.   Through this carefully planned, progressive programme and the application of Quality First Teaching, we are able to develop children’s phonological awareness and reading skills from Pre-School onwards. This early access to phonics learning allows our staff to ensure that children leave the Early Years Foundation Stage with a solid understanding of the skills and strategies needed to develop into competent and resilient readers, and as a result, competent and resilient writers. In Year 1 all children have a phonics assessment as set by the DFE.  We are very proud that our phonics screening results have been consistently high year on year using this method of teaching reading.

We understand the importance vocabulary acquisition and oracy skills play in supporting comprehension in reading.  Our reading strategy outlines the approach we have towards reading, which begins as pupils enter our Pre-School setting. Before children are able to recognise and read print, they need to be able to speak with confidence and fluency so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others.

Through listening to others reading, our youngest learners are able to develop their understanding and build upon their existing knowledge and gain an understanding of what a reader is, so that they can approach reading with enthusiasm and resilience.

We want readers to be able to…

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding

• reading widely and often, for both pleasure and to acquire information

• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language

• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage

• use their knowledge of reading to support their writing

• be confident to discuss what they have read, clearly explaining their understanding and ideas

Our Reading Leader, Mrs Farr, supports staff, pupils and parents and we aim to help each child develop a love of reading.