Phonics and Reading

Reading

At Brookfield we hope to instil in all children a lifelong love of reading.  They start this journey as soon as they join us.  All children enjoy: free reading in their classroom’s cosy book corners; class stories regularly read aloud by teachers; visits to our local library; trips to the Owl Bookshop to purchase new books; World Book Day celebrations; and other reading and writing workshops throughout the year. 

Reading skills are developed and encouraged in a number of ways. 

In Early Years and KS1,  we have a focus on phonics. This is a way of teaching children to read and write by helping them hear, recognise and use the sounds (phonemes) that letters and groups of letters (graphemes) make. By learning these sound–letter links, children can blend sounds together to read words and segment them to spell.

We follow the Letters and Sounds (Little Wandle) scheme. Daily sessions incorporate systematic teaching of phonics sounds alongside reading of supporting stories. Handwriting, spelling and writing are also taught through the programme. 

Once phonic skills have developed, children enjoy small group adult led practise reading sessions 3 time a week which are matched to their phonic stage. Here, children explore a variety of texts in depth and develop comprehension through rich discussions.  Children then bring home their reading practice book to read independently as well as a sharing book to talk about and enjoy with their parent/carer.  Reading at home on a daily basis is essential to help further reading skills and enjoyment of reading.   

From Year 2, and increasingly through KS2, classes also enjoy shared reading sessions. Here, a range of texts are explored as a whole class, and reading skills are developed through rich discussions and questioning.  Reading at home continues to be an essential part of reading development.  Throughout Brookfield we encourage children to continue to read daily at home to themselves and with family members.  Children then share their reading journey in a reading diary.  

For further information about how we teach reading in the early years please visit;