In Reception and Key Stage 1, Our Lady’s use the Read, Write Inc reading scheme which is linked to phonic progression. Once children have progressed through the RWI scheme, we also use a selection of other schemes such as Oxford Reading Tree, and teach our reading curriculum using Pathways to Read as a tool. We aim to ensure that our pupils are exposed to lots of different texts which in turn will build their confidence and ability to read independently and effectively. Being able to read for pleasure is the goal!

Phonics

Why phonics? 
Phonics is a way of teaching children to read quickly and skilfully. They are taught how to: 

• recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes; 
• identify the sounds that different combinations of letters make – such as ‘sh’ or ‘oo’;  
• blend these sounds together from left to right to make a word. 

Children can then use this knowledge to ‘de-code’ new words that they hear or see. This is the first important step in learning to read. 

Research shows that when phonics is taught in a structured way – starting with the easiest sounds and progressing through to the most complex – it is the most effective way of teaching young children to read.  

Almost all children who receive good teaching of phonics will learn the skills they need to tackle new words. They can then go on to read any kind of text fluently and confidently, and to read for enjoyment. 

At Our Lady’s we teach phonics using the Read, Write, Inc (RWI) programme. It aims to build children’s speaking and listening skills in their own right as well as to prepare children for learning to read by developing their phonic knowledge and skills. It sets out a detailed and systematic programme for teaching phonic skills for children starting by the age of five, with the aim of them becoming fluent readers by age seven. For those who require further support, we use intervention strategies to ensure all children make progress in phonics. Children read books available from the RWI scheme and take these books home to rehearse their reading with parents.

Once children have completed the RWI programme, they are taught reading skills through the Pathways to Read programme.

Pathways to Read follows a mastery approach to learning with three categories of skills developed each half term.

Pathways to Read is a programme designed to equip pupils from Year 2 onwards with key skills to move them through the reading process towards becoming competent and fluent readers. To support this approach, clear detailed lesson plans and resources are linked to high-quality texts. Pathways to Read ensures engaging and purposeful reading lessons.

Pathways to Read follows a mastery approach to learning with three categories of skills developed each half term:

• Ongoing skills – linked to text choices and achieved through selection of teaching activities
• Core skills – prediction, vocabulary development and retrieval
• Mastery skills – 2-3 objectives are focused on for pupils to master over the course of the half-term

Every unit consists of six whole class reading sessions following the four-part structure:

• Predict
• Clarify vocabulary
• Read and retrieve
• Read and explain

The core elements of each session are prediction, developing pupils’ vocabulary and retrieval. The ‘Read and explain’ part of the lesson is the mastery focus for the majority of sessions.

Grouped reading sessions follow each whole class session with a mastery focus, with a specific focus on the mastery learning and providing pupils with the opportunity for discussion in smaller groups with an adult.

Follow on activities are provided following each grouped session for pupils to complete independently.

Please click on the links below to view our reading long term overview and objectives covered.