📖🌟 Reading for the Stars 🌟📖

At WDPS we are always striving to ensure we are doing everything we can so that your child achieves their full potential on their journey through our school.

The Government makes changes to the curriculum for the ever-changing world in which we live and therefore we regularly reflect on the way we teach and the content of what we teach. Recently, this has become increasingly more challenging and reading is the area we are focusing on in order to meet the new demands of the National Curriculum.

What are we doing as a school to ensure we meet these needs and how are we continuing to develop reading at WDPS?

Firstly, as Literacy Lead, I am constantly keeping abreast of new and improved techniques and strategies which are available to support and improve reading across our school. This is then shared with staff and implemented across the different phases. Being a part of the ONE Trust, WDPS works closely with these schools, sharing best practice and working together to meet shared whole school priorities.

In the Early Years we have a comprehensive phonics programme in place (Read Write Inc.).  We have introduced theEarly Talk Boost in Nursery and NELI in Reception to develop oral language skills.

Throughout the year, there are regular phonics workshops where parents and careers can come into school to find out what they can do to support their child with this vital life skill.

Read Write Inc is continued in year one and two and this is having a positive impact on the phonics test in the summer term for year one children - with the best results to date and continuing an upward trend.

As a whole school, we have introduced additional guided reading sessions each week and we also a scheme to challenge children who are more confident in this area (Reading Explorers - a guided skills based journey and Rising Stars).

Your child's teacher is also sharing a whole class text at the end of each school day to promote a love of reading and to instil the habit of reading for pleasure.

You may have noticed our new and exciting library area in the foyer where your child can borrow books from fortnightly. They can also borrow books from our local community library once a half term.

Each class now has a stunning reading display around their classroom door.

The displays are intended to promote a love of reading and to enthuse and excite children about reading.

Other initiatives which are embedded at WDPS to promote a love of reading are:

• Weekly reading reward certificates given out on Fridays.
• Half termly reading reward prizes for two children per class who are demonstrating a real commitment to improving their reading skills.
• Reading journal activity booklets for homework.
• A parent / carer reading partner assigned to each class.
• Whole school reading weeks.
• £10,000.00 investment in a new reading scheme.

Three exciting initiatives we have introduced are Reading Plus Scheme, Literacy Box and Literature Works.

Reading Plus is an online reading comprehension computer program ( Year 2 upwards), where your child is assigned appropriate books for their age and ability; this is proving so popular that children are rushing to school to ask for more books to be assigned to their accounts. Your child has a copy of their own personal login but please speak to their class teacher if you need a replacement.

Literacy Box is an exciting and challenging reading resource used in the classroom.

Finally we are also now a part of Literature Works and we have access to lesson planning and case studies resources to aid and excite teachers when planning and delivering the teaching of reading and writing across the school.

So what can you do to support your child?

• Read with your child every day with few distractions around if possible.
• Read aloud until they are fluent and still read aloud when they are.
• Ask them questions about the book or text you have read together.
• Read their favourite book over and over again.
• Talk about what might happen next or what if?
• Ask your child about books they are reading in class and what they like to read best.
• Discuss the meanings of tricky words and even look their meanings up.
• Retake control of your TV and tablet time so children will be more inclined to read.
• Read anything and everything from comics and road signs to cereal boxes.

Together we can make the difference and help all of our children become lifelong readers and so increase their life chances. So let's reach for the stars and read for the stars.

Miss Croll

Children's Book Reviews