At Gresham Village School and Nursery, we consider reading to be the most important skill that children learn in their time with us.
Our aim is to enable every child to read fluently and with understanding during their time with us, so they are able to fully access our school curriculum, are equipped for high school and a wider world around them that is full of the written word. We are very aware that being able to read fluently and confidently is an essential skill that opens up the world and our ability to communicate in so many ways.
Our intention is that children are exposed to the written word and letters from the very beginning in nursery, through story, words around the setting and by teaching them how words are blended through separate sounds. Our chosen phonics scheme is Read Write Inc. We teach phonics systematically in reception and year 1, with the aim that most children will be developing fluency and comprehension skills during years 2 and 3, so that by year 4 the majority of children are fluent readers choosing independently from a wide range of literature.
From the beginning, we aim to foster a love of reading and literature. We try to inspire the children to read by: reading high quality books and texts to them regularly and with drama and expression; having a large, always evolving stock of books in all classrooms and the school library; making books and reading a feature of all aspects of the curriculum; and running regular reading events, such as book fairs, reading trails and author visits.
We understand the important roles that parents have in moulding children’s attitudes to books and reading and in helping to teach them to read, so seek to involve and support parents from the beginning by giving them regular information about their child’s progress and reading guides appropriate to their child’s reading development, so they feel empowered to assist at home. Our Parents’ Guide to the Reading Strategy is designed to give parents an overview of the strategy and guidance about how to apply this at home.
