Supporting Literacy

Our early reading is supported by children's individual Personal Books made with individual children. Children are introduced to a set sequence of sentences which develop a good sight vocabulary and bank of personal words. Children are then placed on the Oxford Reading Tree Scheme. When children reach ORT stage 5 and are becoming more confident readers they are placed on a class reading trail. The class reading trail is a selected set of books chosen at the correct reading level to widen and extend their reading experience in Year 2, 3 and 4. When children have completed their reading trail they are able to choose books from the library which they read with their teacher or teaching assistant in individual reading time as well as taking it home in their book bag to share at home.

To support our reading scheme, phonics are taught using the Jolly Phonics Scheme in the Foundation Stage, Year 1 and 2. In year 2 children are taught grammar using the Jolly Grammar Handbooks 1 and 2.

In Key Stage 2 spellings are taught using National Literacy Spelling Bank. Currently in Key Stage 2 we use Grammar for Writing  to support teaching of grammar.

To support less able readers we use intervention programmes:

ELS (Early Literacy Support) in Year 1,

Sir Kit's Quest (Year 3 Intervention support programme) in Year 3 and 

ALS (Additional Litearcy Support) in Year 4.

Children who need extra support with phonics in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 are placed on an individual phonic computer programme Lexia which they are timetabled for two twenty minute sessions per week.