English
Reading and Phonics at Callow End
We aim to encourage all our pupils to become enthusiastic readers who enjoy a wide range of quality texts and read accurately, with understanding and with enjoyment.
Phonics
In EYFS and KS1, direct focused phonics is taught every day through the Floppy's Phonics phonics programme which prepares children for learning to read by developing their phonic knowledge and skills whilst building their speaking and listening skills.
The Oxford Reading Tree scheme is used throughout EYFS and KS1 and is sequenced to embed a cumulative progression in phonic knowledge. This ensures that reading books are matched to pupils’ phonic knowledge and allow pupils to practice reading and re-reading books, that match the grapheme-phoneme correspondences that they have learnt . These books are read at home and at school.
Reading
A range of resources, high quality texts and planned activities and experiences develop understanding and nurture a love of reading and books. Once our pupils’ phonic knowledge is secure they move onto the Oxford Reading Tree scheme, together with supplementary texts appropriate to their stage and ability.
Guided reading groups use Rigby Star books in Key Stage 1, the Navigator scheme in lower Key Stage 2 and Fiction Express in upper Key Stage 2. High quality texts and focused questioning allow pupils to develop their reading and comprehension skills. Three planned Guided Reading sessions take place weekly across KS1 and KS2.
Throughout the school we aim to ensure that all our pupils develop:
- Excellent phonic knowledge and skills.
- Fluency and accuracy in reading across a wide range of contexts throughout the curriculum.
- Knowledge of an extensive and rich vocabulary.
- An excellent comprehension of texts.
- The motivation to read for both study and for pleasure.
- Extensive knowledge through having read a rich and varied range of texts.
English - whole school progression
Reading Spine - Reception to Year 6
Phonics at Callow End - Floppy's Phonics
Floppy’s Phonics provides our teachers with everything they need to teach your child the alphabetic code. This enables children to read, spell and write well, regardless of their individual needs and abilities.
Floppy’s Phonics is a rigorous systematic synthetic phonics programme which provides comprehensive multi-sensory resources to support learning in school and at home. Alongside teaching the letter-sound correspondences of the alphabetic code, Floppy’s Phonics enriches children’s vocabulary and develops their language comprehension. Letter-sound correspondences are introduced in a particular order and this enables the provision of cumulative sentences and texts for the children to practise with. Throughout each phonics session, children develop reading skills (print to sound), spelling skills (sound to print) and handwriting practise.
Lesson resources include display posters, reversible flashcards, sound books, decodable books, interactive activities and worksheets for each child to practise with and share at home. They are enhanced by illustrations featuring characters and themes from the Oxford Reading Tree series.
Further resources to help parents learn more about phonics can be found at the end of this section.