Reading

Dear Parents and Carers,

The closure of schools has had a huge impact on children reading regularly and even though I know that some children continued reading during lockdown, there will undoubtedly be gaps in learning due to the current situation. We are using the start of the new academic year to re-evaluate reading in school/home and how we can support your children in catching up on their missed reading opportunities during lockdown.

What we are doing in school

We pride ourselves in being a Reading School; which means reading is happening all the time in classrooms and throughout the school. It is taught discretely through Guided Reading sessions and English lessons, but children also practise using their 'reading' constantly across all subjects too. This September, we started ‘Pathways to Read’ which complements our already established ‘Pathways to Write’ programme of study.

What we are implementing for reading in school and at home

Your child will bring home a reading book, new reading record and a book for pleasure. They can bring these to school in a small bag.

The children have been assessed in reading to determine their current reading level.

There will be an expectation that your child reads at home, to an adult or a high school sibling, for 5 sessions per week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and then once over Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 – 10 minutes reading at home session.

Year 3 and Year 4 – 15 minutes per reading at home session.

Year 5 and Year 6 – 20 minutes per reading at home session.

Once your child has read with you, the reading record needs to be dated and signed. You are more than welcome to leave a comment.

Your child's reading experience is much more than reading the book which comes home from school. We understand that, at times, children may want to read what interests them the most. If in a reading at home session they read a football magazine, a book from home or an internet article/book then this can be recorded in their reading record and signed by you as a session completed.

As your child arrives in class they will be asked to open their reading records on the table so that staff can tick/initial and record that they have read at home. Children will receive rewards for regular reading at home and in school.

Staff will be changing your child’s reading book on a Wednesday and Friday. If your child is on a lengthier book, then they may need to keep it for a longer period of time.

We value the need for children to read to an adult. In school, your child will be listened to by an adult, at least on one occasion and where possible, twice per week. The adult will sign your child’s reading record.

Monitoring of your child’s progress in reading will happen frequently so that books are always matched to your child’s ability, providing levels of challenge to move reading progress forward.

Every class will have a reading reward chart. Children will work towards rewards for reading at home and in school.

Children will be given the opportunity to bring home a library book of their choice.

Reading to and with your child every evening can make a dramatic difference to a child's achievement in reading. 'Children who read outside of class are 13 times more likely to read above the expected level for their age'. Having been through the education journey with my children, I understand the challenges of busy family life, work commitments and sometimes a battle of wills to ‘get reading done’. We are looking for a high level of commitment from families to complete the 5 reading at home sessions each week. Please let school know if there are any difficulties. We will be speaking to the children about the changes and high expectations we are setting for reading at home and in school.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions. Please ring the school office or email me direct.

head.westfield@halton.gov.uk

Many thanks,

Miss Pope