English & Phonics

At Beer C of E Primary School we believe that for all our children to become fluent readers and writers, phonics must be taught through a systematic and structured phonics programme.

We use Read Write Inc (RWInc) to plan and provide daily engaging phonics lessons. In phonics, we teach children that the letters of the alphabet represent a different sound, that these can be used in a variety of combinations and are put together to make words. The children learn to recognise all of the different sounds and combinations that they might see when they are reading or writing. Our phonics teaching starts in Reception and follows a very specific sequence that allows our children to build on their previous phonic knowledge and master specific phonic strategies as they move through school. As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words that they might discover. At Beer we also model these strategies in shared reading and writing both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on the development of language skills for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

How we teach phonics and Early Reading (Early Years and KS1)

• In Reception and Year 1, children follow the progression within Read, Write Inc (RWInc).  Phonics is taught daily.
• Phonics starts in reception in week 1 to ensure the children make a strong start.
• By the end of reception, children will be at green level as a minimum (although some will be working above this).
• By the end of Year 1, children will be working at blue level as a minimum (although some will be working above this).
• Children in Year 2 recap any gaps in their phonics knowledge in the autumn term.
• Phonics lessons are 40 minutes long.

Reading practice sessions

• Children across Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 (and beyond if appropriate) apply their phonics knowledge by reading a fully matched decodable reader in their phonic lessons.
• These sessions are an integral part of the daily structure and follow the model as set out by Read, Write Inc.
• The first session is centred around decoding, the second on prosody and the third on comprehension.
• The children then take the same book home to ensure success is shared with the family.
• In Reception, the children initially take a wordless book home before an oral-blending book.  They progress onto ditty’s before finally taking a matched decodable reader when they are assessed as being on red.

How do we assess phonic knowledge?

• Staff include regular review sessions which recaps the children’s learning.
• Children identified in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 as in danger of falling behind are immediately identified and daily ‘keep up’ sessions are put in place – these sessions follow the RWInc programme.
• Our Phonics lead assesses the children half termly using the RWInc assessment materials.
• Children in Year 1 complete the statutory Phonics Screening Check in the Summer term.
• Children who do not meet standard in the Phonics Screening Check in Year 1, will complete this in Year 2. Support continues to be put in place for these children.

Reading for pleasure – Early Years and KS1

Alongside daily teaching of phonics, reading for pleasure is an important part of our Early Reading offer. We ensure children develop a love of reading and are exposed to a range of interesting and relevant authors. We promote a love of reading in the following ways:

• Sharing well loved and high quality stories, poems and non fiction books with the children.
• Teaching of poetry, which includes performing and learning a range of poems by heart.
• Daily storytime.
• Book areas throughout the classroom which have a careful selection of books, including books by the focus author to inspire and engage the children.
• Cosy spaces within the classroom with room to snuggle down with a book.
• Ensuring that the children have access to our school library on a regular basis and can select sharing books to take home and enjoy with their families.
• Building in opportunities for older children to read with our younger children.
  For more information, please click here. 

At Beer C of E Primary School we are passionate about reading, which lies at the heart of our curriculum. We are dedicated to enabling our pupils to become lifelong readers and we believe reading is key for academic success. 

Reading is taught not only in specific Reading lessons but across the wider curriculum too. We provide language-rich classroom environments and a curriculum where children are exposed to, and actively engage with, high quality language in varying forms in a meaningful, deliberate and engaging way.   

We aim to develop a love of reading in all our children. We provide children with the reading skills they need to read a broad range of texts. By the end of Key Stage One, our children will already be successful, fluent decoders through the delivery of consistent high quality, systematic synthetic phonics teaching from EYFS until the end of KS1. They understand that they use their phonics knowledge as the first tool when tackling new words in reading and writing. They will also have a growing understanding of text meaning which will be further developed during Key Stage 2. Children will leave Beer as competent readers, who can recommend books to their peers, have a thirst for reading a wide range of high-quality texts across the genres, participate in discussions about books and have an established love of reading for life. 

Teachers regularly read with the children, modelling reading. The children get to know and love all sorts of stories, poetry and information books. This is in addition to the books that they bring home. This helps to extend children’s vocabulary and comprehension, as well as supporting their writing. 

Reading in EYFS and KS1 

Key information regarding how we teach phonics and Early Reading (Early Years and KS1) can be found on the Phonics tab above this section. 

Reading in KS2 

Guided reading is KS2 continues to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills.  Some children in KS2 will also continue to have 1-2-1 support as needed. 

By the time children leave Beer C of E Primary School, they are competent readers who can recommend books to their peers, have a thirst for reading a range of genres including poetry, and participate in discussions about books, including evaluating an author’s use of language and the impact this can have on the reader. They can also read books to enhance their knowledge and understanding of all subjects on the curriculum and communicate their research to a wider audience. 

Whole School Reading Spine

Reading progression

Reading for Pleasure 

“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book”  

Dr Seuss 

At Beer C of E Primary School we are passionate about reading and are dedicated to enabling our pupils to become lifelong readers - we believe embedding a love of reading in school and at home is key for academic success. Reading for pleasure is a form of play that allows us to experience other worlds and roles in our imagination. For children, reading for pleasure is reading that goes beyond a teacher’s reading expectations and is done to fuel their own curiosity and enjoyment. 

We know that sometimes the biggest challenge is not simply getting your child to read at home, but to enjoy reading too! At Beer, we have embedded strategies across the school which ensure that we can best support all our pupils to develop a lifelong love of reading. 

Class Reads 

Time to read aloud is a regular occurrence. Whether reading a story book, non-fiction text or poetry, it’s a wonderful opportunity for staff to offer a model for independent reading and to demonstrate their own enthusiasm for books. Each class has a class reader, selected from our Reading Spine.  Our Reading Spine has been carefully put together so that we have a collection of high-quality texts which we want all children in our school to experience and enjoy.  These books ensure that children hear the best texts read aloud to them by their teachers for pleasure and helps to promote ‘book talk’.  The intention is that by the time they reach Year 6 and beyond, they have developed a wide, rich vocabulary and broader knowledge of the world and, as a result, are able to access the more complex books expected of them in secondary schools. 

For more information, please click here. 

School Library 

Our library is a lovely learning environment which gives a cosy space to choose and read a book.