At Broad Square Primary School we are passionate about ensuring all children become confident and enthusiastic readers and writers. We believe that phonics provides the foundations of learning to make the development into fluent reading and writing easier. We also value and encourage the pupils to read for enjoyment and recognise that this starts with the foundations of acquiring letter sounds, segmenting and blending skills. Through phonics children learn to segment words to support their spelling ability and blend sounds to read words. The teaching of phonics is of high priority.

At Broad Square Primary School, we use the Monster Phonics programme. Monster Phonics categorises sounds into 10 areas and uses the Monsters as a categorisation. Each monster has a different colour. Each colour represents that way of spelling the sound. Through this phonics teaching the children are taught the essential skills needed for reading. Phonics is taught daily to all children in Foundation Stage, and KS1. Extra support is provided to those in Year 2 who have not passed phonics screening in Year 1 and interventions are planned for those children who are working below expected levels. Staff systematically teach learners the relationship between sounds and the written spelling patterns, or graphemes, which represent them. Phonics is delivered in groups based on the stage the children are currently working at, children work through the different stages and as they grow in confidence and experience, they are introduced to alternative ways of representing the same sound as planned in the Monster Phonics programme.

Pupils also have daily reading practice sessions using the Monster Phonics decodable books with an adult to ensure the pupils are regularly practising and applying their phonics knowledge. In the EYFS the continuous provision matches the pupil’s current knowledge and understanding whilst ensuring the children are suitable challenged. Teachers regularly assess the pupil’s phonics knowledge using the phonics assessment, Phonics Tracker, reading milestones and Reading Early Learning Goal (in EYFS). These regular assessments inform planning and allow teachers to identify any gaps in learning. The children have phonetically decodable reading books from the Monster Phonics programme which they are encouraged to read regularly at home which match their current phonics level.

As an inclusive school, we strive to ensure that all pupils are able to access a broad and balanced Phonics curriculum offer. Pupils with SEND are supported within lessons to ensure that a ceiling is not put on their learning. This is achieved through regular retrieval activities, over learning of vocabulary and different ways of recording evidence of learning. Where adaptations are necessary, these are planned carefully by the teacher to ensure that each pupil has rigour within their curriculum.

Through the teaching of phonics, our aim is for children to become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage One. This way, children can focus on developing their fluency and comprehension as they move through the school. Attainment in reading is measured using the statutory assessments at the end of Key Stage One and Two. These results are measured against the reading attainment of children nationally. Attainment in phonics is measured by the Phonics Screening Test at the end of Year 1. However, we firmly believe that reading is the key to all learning and so the impact of our reading curriculum. 

Further information about why the program is so engaging for our children here:  https://youtu.be/AJsIpcXdI7Y

Please click the link to find out more information about our Monster Phonics scheme:  https://vimeo.com/625366638/5cd0381e2b

To support our phonics and early reading in EYFS and KS1 we solely use the Monster phonics reading books. Books are carefully matched to the sounds the children have been learning in school so the children can decode using their phonics knowledge they have been taught in the classroom - this is vital to developing their self-belief and self-esteem. In some instances, phonics teaching along with reading practice sessions using Monster Phonics books can be continued for any pupils who need to access intervention in Y3 and 4.  We are committed to giving our pupils the best possible chance to learn to read and ensure that children take an active part in daily reading practise sessions in KS1 ensuring that children have repeated practice and learn to become confident, successful readers.

The main reading schemes in KS2 are Oxford Reading Tree, Collins Big-Cat and Project X.  Parents are encouraged to listen to their children read at home and to talk about books/read stories to their children. In upper KS2 we develop pupils' independence by allowing them to read independently and make comments in their reading records.  

As children move through school they become more familiar with a wide range of text types and develop higher order reading skills further and a love of reading. It is our aim that our children develop a positive relationship with reading and that they can begin to select from a wide range of reading material from which they choose.

We also insist that children visit our school libraries regularly to discuss and select books to read for pleasure. 

Our school devotes 30 minutes per day on a whole class reading lessons. In EYFS and KS1 children explore quality books and texts, using book talk, drama and role play. They take part in teacher-led discussions around books. 

From Year 3 onwards, children will focus on carefully planned extracts from a range of genres. Our reading curriculum is currently being built to ensure that our children develop a love of reading and become life-long readers.  Each lesson children will learn new vocabulary, retrieve and infer information from the text along with personal responses to the text. This has been a highly focused and effective method of teaching fluency and comprehension. It enables all children to access a wide range of vocabulary and it helps children to make connections with other areas of learning.

This approach is beneficial as it progressively teaches children how to use all the key reading skills every day based around a wealth of quality texts. 

Our reading curriculum aims to help our children become confident and competent readers who have a wealth of understanding around literature and a love of reading. 

All classes have reading areas that are well stocked with quality books from across the genre range.

Each day, the children will hear their class teacher reading for at least 10 minutes from their class novel/text, as all teachers have made a ‘Reading Pledge’ to ensure that this precious time is built in daily as far as possible. We will use this novel for some lessons during whole class reading to ensure the children can discuss characters and themes in depth. By discussing this text the children will become proficient in predicting and summarising.

Pupils have access to the school library where there are a variety of books to choose from and Kindles as an option.   Electronic copies of ‘Picture News’ are sent to parents each week to share with their children.

The school offers reading intervention for pupils who are not making expected progress or who find reading difficult. The main forms of reading intervention are: small group speed sound sessions based on Monster Phonics, targeted small group reading practice sessions and pre-reading Reading texts to become experts. 

Reading and phonics cafes and open mornings are planned in throughout the year to show parents and carers how we teach reading and phonics. These events aim to provide parents with practical ways in which they can support their children too.

As an inclusive school, we strive to ensure that all pupils are able to access a broad and balanced English curriculum offer. Pupils with SEND are supported within lessons to ensure that a ceiling is not put on their learning. This is achieved through regular retrieval activities, over learning of vocabulary and different ways of recording evidence of learning. Where adaptations are necessary, these are planned carefully by the teacher to ensure that each pupil has rigour within their curriculum.