In school we teach phonics using the Letters and Sounds programme, supported by the Jolly Phonics scheme, particularly using its kinaesthetic actions and stories.

As children move through the early stages of acquiring phonics, they practice by reading texts which are entirely decodable from schemes such as Rigby Star Phonics, Dandelion, Oxford Reading Tree Songbirds and Bug Club.

Once children have a secure knowledge of letter/sound correspondences and can blend words confidently, they access our Book Banded reading scheme which has books from various published schemes and is designed to give children experience of a variety of reading genres. There are fiction and non-fiction books within each level.

All children are encouraged to select books from the classroom, library or home to share with their parents to encourage a love of reading.

Once children can read fluently and with a good understanding, they self-select books for independent reading from the school library or from home.