At Bedlington Whitley Memorial C of E Primary School, we strive to ensure a love of reading in all we do. We believe that being a fluent and avid reader opens doors for children to the wider world and gives them the tools they require to be life long learners.
At our school, we use Read, Write, Inc. which is a structured phonics programme designed to help all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. The programme is designed for Reception to Year 2 and is used, where necessary, as an intervention programme for children in Year 3 and 4. Children learn the 44 common sounds in the English Language and how to blend them to read and spell.
At Bedlington Whitley Memorial C of E Primary School, we firmly believe that reading is the key that unlocks the whole curriculum so the ability to efficiently decode is essential. Read, Write, Inc. sessions occur each day in Reception and KS1, as the continuity and pace of the programme is key to accelerating the progress of children's reading development. In KS2, those children who are still accessing phonics will receive daily phonics lessons each day in small groups. Some children who require it will also receive daily Fast Track Phonics to support catch up.
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Read, Write, Inc.
Through Read, Write, Inc. we aim to teach children to:
- Apply the skill of blending phonemes in order to read words.
- Segment words into their constituent phonemes in order to spell words.
- Learn that blending and segmenting words are reversible processes.
- Read high frequency words that do not conform to regular phonic patterns.
- Read texts and words that are within their phonic capabilities as early as possible.
- Decode texts effortlessly so all their resources can be used to comprehend what they read.
- Spell effortlessly.
It is essential that, as children learn to read independently, they access phonetically decodeable books which are matched to their phonic knowledge. Book Bag Books are part of the Read, Write, Inc. phonics programme and ensure that children are engaging in decodeable texts during the early stages of reading. Strategic half-termly assessments ensure that Book Bag Books are matchs appropriately to each child. All children who access the Read, Write, Inc. phonics programme take Book Bag Books home to read with an adult and we encourage parents and carers to engage with school staff regularly through their child's reading record.
Once children are able to read fluently and at speed, and no longer accessing the phonics programme, they will then join the Accelerated Reader Programme which will assess their Zone of Proximal Development and provide them with a ZPD level in which to select books matched to their reading and comprehension level. These books continue to be engaging, accessible and appropriate to children's stages of development.
While teaching the phonics programme, we continue to promote a child's love of reading from their very first day with us in nursery. We firmly believe in sharing high quality picture and other texts with our children. Children engage in these through the magic of story telling in our protected reading time and within English lessons. These books support children as they develop their understanding of the world and broaden their vocabulary.
