Our Vision for our Readers

It would be very easy to commit a generic tag-line for our vision regarding phonics and reading at Thomas Jolyffe. However, as is the case with many schools, we have children whose experiences in life are incredibly varied. It is for this reason that our vision and aims are somewhat vast in communicating our intent.

We want all children to develop a love of books by immersing them in quality material. We want confident, fluent readers who can make sense of what they read and enter into detailed discussion about what they have read, what they believe and what they think is right or wrong. We want others to be able to decode unfamiliar words and ensure reading is not something to be feared in their lives. We want reading to engage and entertain those who find the structure of school more challenging. We want to adapt to the individuals in our care and the ever-changing world around us. This is not just phonics and reading at Thomas Jolyffe, this is Thomas Jolyffe in its entirety.

Phonics

Children are taught reading and writing together with every phonics lesson allowing opportunities to read and write each sound as well as going over what has been learnt before. We assess subtly but rigorously, allowing us to ensure all are making progress relative to their starting points. This is a continuous process throughout Reception, Key Stage One and into Key Stage Two. 

Books are matched closely to children’s emerging knowledge of phonics and common exception words through well-advised choices. The nurturing qualities of exceptional staff allow children to experience success and gain confidence in reading at all levels. Hearing children read and supporting their increasingly fluent decoding is encouraged to be the heartbeat of life between home and school. Phonics Bug is used to ensure consistency of teaching between classes and is a central part of our approach thanks to its engaging fast-paced range of aural, visual and kinaesthetic phonics activities.

For parents wanting an independent whistle-stop tour of how it all works, take a look here at The School Run. In Reception, children will typically start by being taught 'Phase 2' sounds and ‘tricky words’ but this is adapted to suit the children each year. Throughout Reception they will usually progress through Phase 3 and 4. Each lesson has the same structure so that children know what to expect and can apply their knowledge adeptly in each session. Every phonics phase will be learnt and consolidated and by the end of Year 1 children will take the Phonics Check. Take a look at the video below for an explanation of what this entails… In Year 2 further consolidation takes place - by now phase 5 - before embarking on their spelling curriculum using spelling shed. More information on our spelling approach can be found here.

Whole Class Reading

Once children are secure with their phonics knowledge, they begin to develop their reading fluency and prosody, vocabulary, background knowledge and comprehension of texts in whole class reading lessons. Beginning from the Summer term of Year 2, these daily lessons explicitly teach the skills that children need in order to read texts for meaning, and ultimately, enjoyment. Each sequence of learning is carefully structured across a week so that children gain an understanding of the vocabulary and general knowledge needed to access a text before moving on to reading it with fluency and prosody. Towards the end of the week, children will explore the text in a deeper way, with their class teacher modelling how a skilled reader extracts meaning before they apply these skills independently. The texts children are exposed to are varied in their style and content, broadening children's knowledge of the world and their enjoyment of different types of texts.

The following reading strategies are referenced in whole class reading lessons and during class story time when appropriate:

Independent Reading - Accelerated Reader

When they are ready, no matter where they are on their school journey, every child has access to Accelerated Reader. A child takes a book back and forth between school and home, completes it and then takes an online quiz to test their comprehension and gets immediate feedback. Children at Thomas Jolyffe respond very positively, look forward to this feedback and are motivated to make more progress with their reading skills. Take a look by clicking here.

Children will complete what is known as a STAR reading assessment which will provide children with their ZPD (Zone of proximal development). This is a number that guides the children towards books which they can read independently and without causing frustration or loss of motivation. To make it easier for the children to select books we have colour coded each ZPD range:

We also understand that children may want to choose books that are outside of their ZPD range and actively encourage them to do this to support a reading for pleasure atmosphere. The books outside of their range may require an adult to support, either by reading to or alongside, the child.

Children are given reading records in order to track the books that they have read and are encouraged to write responses and comments such as new vocabulary encountered and thoughts or feelings about what has happened in the text. In KS1, parents will complete the reading record for their child whilst children will complete these with growing independence throughout KS2. 

Class Story Time

We believe that sharing stories with children sparks imagination and lets the words fly from the page. Each day children will spend time listening to a story for the pure enjoyment of the experience. Teachers may use this opportunity to highlight exciting words or phrases that spark ideas for writing but ultimately this time is about generating a buzz around books! To this end, we at Thomas Jolyffe have created our own TJ reading spine, a list of books that children will hear from their teachers throughout each year group. 

Reading Support and Intervention

We support pupils for as long as it takes until they can read whether they have identified special educational needs or any other need that prohibits them from learning at a faster rate. In Key Stage Two we run Project X - a highly motivational adventure series that embeds phonics. Take a look below…

We have the highest expectations for all of our pupils in terms of progress. In 2019 88% of our children reached the phonics check threshold, 86% achieved the expected standard for Reading at the end of Key Stage One alongside 82% for Writing. Children who were working towards the expected standard had succeeded in making progress from their starting points through targeted support implemented by an ever-developing team of experienced teachers with a deep knowledge of what children need to make their next steps. As well as statutory testing, we use PiRA tests twice yearly in Years 1,3,4 and 5 to benchmark against age related expectations. This links to our tracking of the key Reading performance indicators throughout the year and is reported half termly at meetings to discuss children’s progress.