Reading

Reading

It is morally imperative for Penn Wood School to teach every child to read, regardless of social and economic circumstances, the ethnicity of pupils, the language spoken at home and most SEN or disabilities. We are sharply accountable for the progress and success of our children. Unless children have learnt to read, the rest of the curriculum remains a secret garden to which they will never have access.

We believe that good readers make good writers and so we actively immerse children within the principles of Pie Corbett’s Talk for Writing approach. 'Reading as a Reader' and 'Reading as a Writer' - the stages within 'Imitation' - are both essential in teaching children the skills needed to be successful readers.

Children from Reception to Year 6 are also timetabled to be taught reading within whole class sessions at least three times per week. The school's approach to reading is research-informed using what we know pedagogically about vocabulary instruction, the importance of general and world knowledge (and its impact on inference) and the designing and answering of questions about reading. The school follows Pie Corbett's Talk for Reading sequence with a variety of quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are also exposed to Rising Stars' Reading Planet books - a mixture of phonically decodable and non-phonically decodable stories - within whole class sessions.

All children are regularly immersed in the quality literature from our school's reading spine, which has been carefully designed to include the very best of children's literature.

Early Reading

At Penn Wood, children in Nursery, Reception and KS1 are following the Read, Write Inc. Phonics programme.  Sounds are taught in a lively, engaging, multi-sensory way, supported with real story books. 

For more information about the approach to early reading at Penn Wood, please read our Early Reading Policy:

Reading for Pleasure

The school's library - the Active Learning Library - is fully stocked with the best of children's literature and kept up to date with the newest releases. Each class in the school is timetabled to visit the library once per week and has the opportunity to loan books to read at home. As well as this, the library is open and accessible before and after school, when children and their parents can visit and browse the shelves together.

In the school library, the school has raffle ticket boxes linked solely to reading. Every child in the school has a reward card for reading and once a card has been filled with stickers (evidence of a wide variety of reading behaviours), a ticket is entered into a raffle. Tickets drawn out equate to a reward of a choice of book as a prize.

Each classroom has its own unique reading area in which children can access quality, up to date fiction and non-fiction reading books.

Reading at Home

Children are expected to read daily at home, with parents' support if necessary and appropriate. Every child has a home-school reading record which is monitored daily by class teachers. Children have access to Oxford Reading Buddy and Rising Stars' Reading Planet online, where they can read a wide range of ebooks.

Parents are actively encouraged to attend Rapid Reading mornings in Early Years and KS1 - opportunities to read with their child in school, as well as regular reading and phonics workshops held in school.

Please read the following Rising Stars guide to reading with your child at home for advice on supporting your children:

Our Online Tools to support Reading

Oxford Reading Buddy

Each child has a login for Oxford Reading Buddy. Using this website, each child will be able to choose a 'buddy' - an avatar - who will use their metacognitive voice to support each individual child's reading.

Oxford Reading Buddy

Reading Planet Online

Each child also has a login for Rising Stars' Reading Planet online, where they can access a library of ebooks to support their child's reading.

Reading Planet online

Oxford Owl

Oxford Owl is an award-winning free website with 250 FREE tablet-friendly eBooks and activities to help you support children’s learning. Now it is even better, with dedicated areas for school and for home.

Oxford Owl Website

First News

Each child in KS2 has access to First News' IHub portal where news articles can be accessed and quizzes answered about current events.

First News Login

Our Reading Schemes:

Oxford Reading Tree

Songbird Phonics

Storytime Phonics

Read Write Inc Phonics

Rising Stars Reading Planet

Bug Club

Project X