Early Reading at James Cambell Primary School
At James Cambell Primary School we use the highly successful Read Write Inc. Phonics programme to teach our children the early skills of reading. The program foundations begin in the Nursery and continue through KS1, to support children to develop their reading skills, until they have gained the necessary skills to read fluently a wide range of text.
Our children do well in the phonics screening check and by Year 2, the majority are fluent readers with the best chance of success in KS2.
The teaching of Read Write Inc. phonics also continues for the children who need further support in KS2. We have small group sessions and 1:1 tutoring available for all those needing further tuition or are new to our school. We believe reading is an essential tool needed to access the rest of the curriculum and we prioritise embedding these skills in to all our pupils.
Above all else, we want to foster a love of reading at James Cambell. We endeavour to expose the pupils at James Cambell Primary to a wide variety of rich, vibrant, engaging and inspiring texts. The children will not only use high quality text in their lessons but also have a class story shared with them every day. In each classroom there is a colourful inviting reading corner where children have the chance to explore books independently. We are also lucky, to have two large libraries at our school, where the children visit every week. Children are able to take books home, that is of a personal interest to them, from our libraries, and share these with their family.
Our Intent
We intend for all our children to be able to read accurately and fluently. At James Cambell we develop the children’s skills from an early age to segment words and blend sounds together to read. Through high quality precise teaching we will develop secure comprehension skills. Children will develop stamina and learn to read with expression and confidence. We endeavour to empower our pupils to develop into lifelong learners who read for both purpose and pleasure.
What is Phonics?
Children begin to learn phonics (sounds) in Early Years Foundation Stage. Once children begin learning sounds, these sounds are used orally to identify and make words.
At James Cambell we use a puppet called Fred who can only speak in sounds, not whole words. We call this Fred Talk.
For example, Fred would say d-o-g, we would say dog. Your child is taught to hear sounds and blend them together in sequence to make a word. We start with blending oral sounds, then progress to reading the letters and blending them together to read the word.
Here is a small clip of Fred Talk in action:
FRED TALK helps children read unfamiliar words by pronouncing each sound in the word one at a time. Children can start blending sounds into words as soon as they know a small group of letters well. Sound blending is essential in reading.
They will then begin to learn the letters which make each of the sounds and these are used to read and spell words.
Once children begin learning sounds, these sounds are used orally to identify and make words. They will then begin to learn the letters which make each of the sounds and these are used to read and spell words.
Once children become confident with recognising, blending and segmenting the Set 1 sounds, they are then moved on to learn more complex sounds in the English language such as below:
They will take part in daily phonic lessons at school where the child will revise and rehearse their reading skills in small groups, which are designed exactly for your child’s ability in reading.
How can I support my child at home?
At James Cambell Primary we believe in the importance of a good quality text to support the children in the development of their reading skill. We have invested in Read Write Inc fully decodable books to continue their reading development at home.
Each week your child will bring home a ‘Book Bag book’ and we ask that you spend 10 minutes a day reading this with your child.
Read Write Inc. Phonics Book Bag Books are engaging texts to support children with additional reading practice outside the classroom. The books are uniquely matched to the existing Read Write Inc. Phonics Storybooks, we use in school, to reinforce children’s learning of phonics at the appropriate level, helping them to make even faster progress in reading.
For further information on RWI Phonics scheme please visit: https://www.ruthmiskin.com/parents/