Reading is a top priority at Norton CEVC Primary School.  We are passionate about our responsibility to not only develop our pupils as fluent, confident and proficient readers but to open their minds to the magic and joy of reading. It is our mission, and one of our Curriuclum Drivers, to ensure that every child leaves Norton CEVC Primary School as an Avid Reader. This starts In Early Years, where we are in a unique position of fostering and developing this love of reading and supporting children as they learn to read to continue this lifelong relationship with books and reading.

In Reception and Year 1 we develop the children's love of reading by sharing and enjoying books with each other every day; individually, in small groups and as a whole class.

We recognise the importance of children making a strong start in learning to read. We have adopted a rigorous, systematic phonics programme called ‘Read Write Inc.’ (RWI) which ensures children in Reception and Year 1 quickly gain the phonics knowledge and early reading skills they need. 

RWI Phonics is an inclusive programme for all children learning to read. Children learn the 44 common sounds in the English language and how to blend them to read and spell. The use of pictures and memorable phrases is used to aid children’s retention and recall of phonemes for reading and spelling. Children are given opportunities to orally explore characters’ actions, thoughts and feelings and to rehearse their writing.

The RWI sessions are expected to occur each day, as the continuity and pace of the programme is key to accelerating the progress of children’s reading development. 

Our aims are to teach children to:

• apply the skill of blending phonemes in order to read words.

• segment words into their constituent phonemes in order to spell words.

• learn that blending and segmenting words are reversible processes.

• read high frequency words that do not conform to regular phonic patterns.

• read texts and words that are within their phonic capabilities as early as possible.

• decode texts effortlessly so all their resources can be used to comprehend what they read.

Their progress is tracked individually throughout the year, so that support or intervention can be put into place. 

As the children read, whether individually, in pairs, to an adult, or within a small group, they learn to retrieve information from a text and make simple inferences and deductions. Reading for pleasure is hugely important, not least for vocabulary acquisition, so home reading is rewarded in our celebration assemblies with Reading Certificates. Readers who need that little extra support are heard daily by staff or volunteer helpers.