Pool-in-Wharfedale CE Primary School

Believe and Achieve

Learning  »  Curriculum  »  Subjects  »  English

Reading, Phonics & Spelling
Our pupils have many opportunities for reading in school. These include: shared reading in the daily literacy session, guided reading with the teacher, group reading with their peers and individual reading. 

We adopt the Twinkl Phonics programme from Reception onwards and the No-Nonsense Spelling programme from Y3 onwards.
Shared reading
Children have opportunities to read frequently during whole class literacy lessons. This may involve reading together as a class from the board or reading/sharing a range of texts.

Guided reading
Whole Class Guided Reading sessions take place every week. The texts used are aimed at an age-related level and adaptive teaching enables all children to access the text and extend their reading ability and comprehension. 

Individual Reading
In Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and KS1, children frequently read independently to an adult. In KS2, children who need more individual support will receive help on a one to one or small group basis.

In Reception and KS1, pupils start by reading picture books and then books which correspond to the Phonics Level they are currently working at. Our Library in KS2 is full of current fiction and non-fiction texts to inspire reading for pleasure!

Reading at Home
Enjoyment and interest is our main aim for your child’s reading; if pupils enjoy reading and being read to it really does make a difference to the progress they make. We emphasise the need for parents to take an active role in their child’s education, supporting the developing reader and encouraging open lines of communication through reading records.At the front of every child’s Reading Record there is a list of reading targets that your child is working on in school. We hope that the targets provided enable parents and carers to support their child further with their reading at home. Please feel free to tick or highlight the targets that you have worked on with your child or you feel your child has achieved. We will use our own recording system in school to monitor your child’s reading progress.
Reading at Pool Primary School
Reading Targets
Reading For Pleasure

As a school we committed to ensuring Reading is taught rigorously and that it instils a lifelong love of Reading for Pleasure. There is so much going on in school to promote this! Have a look at the newsletters to find out more!

Author Visit - Phil Earle

March 2023 - During the week celebrating World Book Day, we welcomed author, Phil Earle, who thoroughly entertained and inspired us with his enthusiasm and passion for reading and writing!n

Our Reading Ambassadors

To develop Reading at our school we have a fantastic a group of pupils who have taken on the role as ‘Reading Ambassadors’. 

The role of the ambassador includes:

-  Encouraging others to develop a love for reading
- Sharing book reviews and recommendations 
- Helping with reading events across the school
- Helping create displays to promote reading within school

The Reading ambassadors meet regularly to talk about what we can do to develop a love for Reading ethos in school.  
We Read Too! Can You Guess Who?

We are keen to show our pupils that the adults in school are readers too! Can you guess who is reading the different books?

World Book Day

We mark this special day in school every year, by celebrating our love of books and Reading!

New Key Stage One Reading Scheme
We have recently purchased a new reading scheme for Early Years and Key Stage One. The books have been carefully selected to support our teaching of phonics and reading in school. We look forward to sharing the new books with our pupils. Your support in encouraging your child/ren to take care of and respect the books is greatly appreciated.

School Library Service Visit 

Pupils in KS1 and KS2 enjoy 100s of books on loan from the Schools’ Library Service. Pupils are invited to make suggestions of titles, authors and genres and our Reading Ambassadors accompany Mrs Fox and Mrs Furnival to choose the books, which we keep for a year and then exchange for new texts!
 

Readathon 2020

We are excited to launch a Readathon on 24th February to encourage our pupils to enjoy and develop a love for reading, with a bit of motivation to help them along the way. Our Readathon is part of the ‘Read for Good’ initiative which raises funds to provide new books and storytellers in hospitals for children. From the money raised, 20% will be given to our school to spend on lots of new books which we will choose for our new Key Stage Two Library. Please encourage family and friends to support our participation in the Readathon. Thank you! . Please see the letter and powerpoint for more information!

Liz Flanagan Author Visit

Year 3,5 and 6 enjoyed a brilliant visit from the author Liz Flanagan!

Writing at Pool Primary School
Handwriting at Pool C of E Primary School

Please find our updated Handwriting Policy attached below that highlights the pre- cursive style that is taught from Reception leading to cursive in Year 2 and into Key Stage 2.

3.10.19 Updated Writing Teaching and Assessment Grids

We have updated and adapted our Writing assessment grids to provide clear and concise objectives to help improve teaching and assessment.

No Nonsense Spelling

Please see below for resources and information linked to No Nonsense Spelling

14.10.19 Tom Palmer Visit

Our Year 3 and 4 pupils enjoyed a visit from the author Tom Palmer. They enjoyed learning about what inspires him to write his sport themed stories!

Leeds Book Awards Ceremony

The Leeds Book Awards Club had a great time at the Leeds Book Awards Ceremony.

Spelling

In KS2, spelling forms an integral part of Literacy teaching. The focus is on children making accurate spelling choices and applying these to their work. Children who require further support with their spelling/phonics are able to access a range of intervention groups suitable for their individual needs. Please see our ‘Phonics and Spelling Policy’ for further information which also incorporates the statutory requirements of the new curriculum.

Related Pages

Pool-in-Wharfedale CE Primary School Arthington Lane, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Otley, LS21 1LG