Reading

Dear School Community,

As a school we recognise the impact reading has on a child's life. Mr Elliott and myself, as Literacy Leader, have undertaken much training and explored intense research, which has proven how significant that reading regularly has on a child's attainment, their ability to access the wider curriculum but also how reading can improve their own mental health and well-being. At Sturton-Le-Steeple, we do our upmost to encourage a love of reading and provide all of our children with the best possible start to their reading journey. 

We are proud and excited to share with you our Reading Video (scroll down to view) which we are urging you to take

the time to watch at your own leisure. 

I would like to thank the staff for all of their input and of course the children who filmed to showcase their reading journey. 

Any feedback would be gratefully received, particularly if it has made you more aware of what reading looks like at our school. 

Thank you. 

Mrs Gibson. 

This is a copy of the reading reminder that was sent out to all parents in January 2023:

Dear Parents,

 Education allows aspiration and opportunity. It is a partnership between home and school, not simply one or the other.

 In school, we monitor and assess the children as they progress through school. Reading is something that is a key life skill and is crucial in enabling a child to access the full curriculum and therefore gain greater knowledge and wisdom. Without a good level of reading, children begin to fall behind.

 Once the children pass the threshold of the Y1 Phonics Screening Test, it does not mean they have ‘mastered the code’ and are able to read and need no more help. Indeed, it is more important than ever that this reading practice with parents continues. Reading is a code, and with that code, access to the world is enabled.

 Reading though, is not just about having the code, it is about making sense of the text, comprehension, prediction and so on. The more children read, the more they learn, the more they learn, the more they grow, and so on.

 Our early reading in school is based around the Phonics Bug scheme with the teaching and resources all linked to provide a comprehensive scheme on which to teach phonics. In Class 1, children have phonics books to match the phonemes/graphemes they are learning. Over-reading and practise are key in developing reading, not just a race to get all the books on a level read. Children should be able to read their appropriate book with confidence and without making errors. This does not mean the book is too easy for them, it means they have the confidence to access the text, practise helps to consolidate this.

 I know that reading reward certificates are handed out at school, and regular reading should be rewarded. In looking through these reading diary records, it is clear to see that the children who read very little at home, are the same children who are struggling to ‘crack the code’ and lack confidence in their reading.

 As the children move up through school, regular reading and sharing books with your child will prove invaluable to their learning and knowledge acquisition. Giving children this ‘tool’ to access the whole world around them is key to success. Our ‘Reading Passport’ traces the steps of progress from F2 to Year 6 for all aspects of reading, regular practice is essential alongside all of the work done in school.

 Reading practice at home is an invaluable investment of time in your child. I know that lives are busy, and as a parent, I understand the pressures. Since the start of the pandemic, children’s education in schools has been interrupted, and because of that, now, more than ever, your child needs as much support as possible. Working together we can do all we can to ensure that your child can ‘crack the code’ and become a successful learner. Small blocks of time regularly have been proven to help make accelerated progress, ‘little and often’ can make gains of up to 5 months in a school year (EEF research).

Dear Parents,

Every Friday your child will be taking part in Special Writing (Y1-Y6). This will start next week.

During this time, the children practise their descriptive writing, grammar skills, and also learn new vocabulary- vocabulary being something that is so important for children to learn.

With this in mind, your child's class teacher has set up a 'Voice Your Vocab!' area on your child's Google Classroom for Classes 2 & 3. (For the children in Class 1, the picture will be sent home in their book bags.) You will find the image that your child will describe during their special writing that week. As a staff team, we think it would be great for you and your child to look at the picture and think of some fantastic vocabulary that they could use in their description. Can they test their teacher? Has their teacher heard of the word before? 

Let's get our children hooked on words!

Any questions, please just ask.

Thank you.