Reading and Phonics

At Castle View Primary School we are passionate about teaching children to read as we believe it is one of the most important skills children will ever learn.  We want our children to read for pleasure and feel inspired, entertained and informed by the books they read. Being able to read fluently and confidently is key to accessing learning across the curriculum, which is why we place such importance on the teaching of reading at Castle View.

In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 we follow the ‘Read, Write, Inc’ scheme to teach phonics. Children are taught to recognise initial letter sounds, then move on to learning the sounds that groups of letters make. Simple , enjoyable rhymes help children to remember the sounds, eg ‘ay’ – may I play? and ‘oo’ – poo at the zoo! Children are taught in small groups and regularly assessed to check that they are making good progress, and that they are in a group that matches their stage of phonic development. Children are given reading books that correspond with their phonics level to practise at school and at home.

In Key Stage 2 it is expected that children will have secured their phonics knowledge and are able to tackle reading books outside of the ‘Read, Write, Inc’ scheme. Children will be exposed to a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction at their level, using books from a variety of reading schemes. Children will move through coloured book bands as they make progress in their reading comprehension.

We provide reading workshops for parents and carers so that they can support their child at home with reading. We expect children to read at home regularly and we reward children with certificates, prizes and other treats for regular home reading.

For more information about reading at Castle View Primary School, please see our Reading Policy (Located on the Policies & Procedures page.)