At Abbots Green we wholeheartedly commit to every child growing as a confident, fluent reader. In partnership with this we immerse our pupils in a culture that allows children to embrace a love of reading as part of their daily routine both at school and at home.
Phonics
At Abbots Green, we believe that all our children can become a fluent readers and writers. Reading is taught through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a synthetic and systematic approach. The children’s journey begins in Nursery following the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression. This allows all children to build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.
As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At Abbots Green, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on vocabulary development for our children; we know that with confidence in speaking and listening children have the foundations to accessing reading and writing in all subjects.
How to help at home
We expect all of our children to read to an adult at home at least three times a week. Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can have a vital impact on their reading journey by continuing their practice at home. There are two types of reading book that your child will bring home in the early stages of learning to read:
A reading practice book
This will be at the correct phonic stage for your child and they should be able to read this fluently. If your child is reading this book with little support, this is great! It is not too easy, we want your child to develop their fluency and confidence in reading. Celebrate their success with them. If your child cannot read a word, read it to them. After they have finished, talk about the book together.
A library book (from summer term in Reception)– Your child will not be able to read this on their own. This book is for you both to read and enjoy together.
Please make sure to record all reading in their reading records as this is counted towards their class claiming the weekly Reading cup.
Bingo Books
At Abbots Green, all year groups from 1-6, have a bingo board. This is a list of 25 recommended books that teachers have chosen specifically for that year group. The books are a diverse range of high-quality texts that we hope will encourage reading for pleasure. The children can take these books home and read alongside their other books. When a child reads a row or column from their bingo boards, the child is treated to a reading reward from our library.