Reading
As a school, we believe that creating a culture of reading is a vital tool in ensuring our children are given the best possible life chances. We ensure that all our pupils are provided with a rich and varied learning experience that aims to develop them as lifelong readers. Cultivating readers with a passion for a wide range of materials will ensure that children’s love of reading extends far beyond the classroom, and allows them to build on their skills independently through a real curiosity for literature and thirst for knowledge.
Phonics - Early reading is specifically developed through phonics in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2. It is a way of teaching children to read quickly and skilfully. At Marsh Gibbon C of E School, we teach the children to achieve phonics success with Reading Planet Rocket Phonics.
EYFS & Key Stage 1 - The school has a graded colour coded reading scheme, Reading Stars Planet. Continuity is ensured by the colour progression and each child works at an individual pace. Each child has an individual diary where reading is recorded and monitored. It also provides a means of communication between parents and teachers. We benchmark the children at regular intervals to ascertain if they are able to move to the next colour reading band. Please do ensure that your child’s reading book and reading record is brought in to school daily.
Key Stage 2 – By Key Stage 2, most children have acquired the fluency and comprehension skills to access a wider variety of reading material and the children are able to come off the reading scheme, the children choose their own reading books and this is when your child becomes a Free Reader. At Marsh Gibbon, our free readers bring home a reading book, of their choice, from our library or from the reading area in the classrooms. The literature has been banded to reflect the complexity of the text and the maturity required from the reader. Some children are also supported when choosing their choice of text. There will still be some children in Key Stage 2, who still require support with decoding and reading fluency therefore, they will still bring home colour banded books.
