- 01908 610561
- office@cedars.milton-keynes.sch.uk
At Cedars Primary School and Nursery, we value reading as a key life skill and one that lays the foundations for lifelong learning. We want every child to learn to decode quickly and accurately so that reading becomes effortless. This enables children to develop their comprehension so that they can then read for pleasure.
At Cedars Primary School and Nursery we believe that all children have the right to learn to read, both to access their learning in the wider curriculum and to develop a love of books for life. We strive to create a community of readers who are independent, reflective and enthusiastic.
Our curriculum enables children to develop their understanding of both word reading (decoding) and comprehension (understanding) through systematic synthetic phonics and a sequential reading programme made up of core texts. We ensure that any child that is not making adequate progress, is supported to reach their full potential and exposed to high quality, rich texts.
We have developed an ever-changing list of core texts, that encompass the British Values, encourage a life long love of reading and enable our children to develop an understanding of the wide diverse world they live in. These books have been carefully chosen so that our pupils can not only learn about who lives in our world but can see their own experiences reflected back to them through these stories. Some of these stories contain difficult themes, which allows the children to be exposed to matters and experiences they may never personally face in a supportive, structured environment, that allows them to create and debate their own opinions. We believe this gives the children a voice in our school community as well as in the wider world around them.
One of the highlights of children’s experiences of reading at Cedars is Book Club. This is a dedicated time for book talk where children take ownership of their love of reading by sharing their own opinions, book recommendations and are encouraged to develop a love of reading.
All classes have at least 10 minutes timetabled into their day for story time, where their teacher shares a high quality or core text with the children. Throughout the school, all children have access to high quality texts in the different reading areas, which are regularly changed and supplemented by books from our local library service. Children also have the opportunity to Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) for 10-15 minutes in every class after lunch where the children can choose their own books to read for pleasure.
Throughout the year we have key reading events which are celebrated as a whole school community e.g. world book day and story-telling week. We also have termly initiatives to encourage an enthusiasm for reading.
Parents/carers are invited to celebration events at the school where they have the opportunity to see how reading is taught, they are given advice about how to support their child with their reading outside of school. They also have the opportunity to share a range of high quality books that their children have chosen and read together.
Nursery
• There is a sharp focus on developing children’s vocabulary and communication
• The Read Write Inc approach is followed in nursery – stories and rhyme from Autumn until Spring, systematic teaching of sounds in the Summer
• There are opportunities for families to take part in a book sharing scheme
Reception
• The teaching of systematic, synthetic phonics is taught from the beginning of reception using the Read Write Inc approach. The content and sequence of our phonics programme supports children’s progress
• Phonics is taught daily
• All children take home a book matched to their phonics reading level as well as a book to read for pleasure or share with their family. Reading record books are used to share reading at home
• Each week the children will go to the school library where they will have a story read to them and they can choose a book to take home
All Early Years children will have:Â
• Opportunities available for reading inside and outside the classroom
• Book corners accessible in all classrooms containing high quality texts
• Daily story time including stories and rhyme are shared with passion by staff to introduce new ideas, concepts and vocabulary and develop a love of reading
• Story sacks, props, puppets, rhyme sacks and picture prompts used by children and staff
• 1:1 opportunities for reading as well as small group and whole class
• Core texts- planned for in provision and opportunities for story-telling, role play and activities related to the text
Children who fall behind age related expectations, will receive targeted intervention such as 1:1 phonics and daily reading with an adult.
The teaching of systematic, synthetic phonics continues to be taught in Years 1 and 2 the content and sequence of our phonics programme supports children’s progress. Phonics is taught daily.
Children who have reached the end of the Read Write Inc programme move to daily reading sessions. The sessions focus on reading for pleasure, comprehension, language development and fluency through our VIPERS reading skills approach.
Where appropriate, children take home a reading book (Read Write Inc and Oxford University Press) linked to the sounds they are learning or have learnt in their phonics sessions.
All children have a reading book for pleasure.
Every child has a reading record which is used for home-school communication.
As part of our homework expectation, children are asked to read at least 5 times a week and record evidence in their reading record. This could be independent, shared or listening to someone read aloud to them.
Core texts are taught through story time, reading sessions,
Every class is timetabled to visit the school library once a week. The children use this time to choose a book of their interest to read, complete activities linked to reading and listen to stories read by their teacher.
Children who are significantly below age-related expectations take part in small group or 1:1 interventions with a specific focus to target their needs.
Reading is taught daily. The children are taught to read for pleasure, develop their fluency, language and comprehension skills and discuss a range of texts.
For the first 2 weeks of every term a core text/s is shared as part of reading.
Some children, who are still working towards becoming a fluent, accurate and confident reader, will have a reading book (colour banded books from Oxford University Press) which is appropriate for their reading level. This is to help them develop fluency, expression and an understanding of what they have read.Â
All children have a book of interest which they can take home to read for pleasure.
As part of our homework expectation, children are asked to read at least 5 times a week and record evidence in their reading record. This could be independent, shared or listening to someone read to them.
All pupils in years 3, 4 and 5 have reading records which are used as home-school communication for reading. Year 6 have planner organisers to record their reading.
Every class is timetabled to visit the library once a week. The children use this time to choose a book of their interest to read, complete activities linked to reading and listen to stories read by their teacher.
Targeted interventions will be used for any child who falls behind age related expectations in reading.Â
Malorie Blackman