“Reading for pleasure is more important for children’s cognitive development than their parents’ level of education and is a more powerful factor in life achievement than socio-economic background”
(Sullivan & Brown, 2013)
“The more you read, the more things you will know. the more you learn, the more places you will go”
(Dr Seuss)
At Broadfield Academy,
we see reading as an integral part of the school curriculum that impacts on all
learning. We value the importance of being a confident reader and work hard to
develop children’s reading skills. We try to encourage a love for reading by
integrating reading into cross-curricular topics.
Reading is taught in a
variety of ways:
One-to-one
reading with an adult
Shared
reading
Guided
reading
Independent
reading
The children are
encouraged to decode words and read fluently and with expression.
During Reading lessons, children
are encouraged to discuss, pose questions, analyse texts, give reasons and
develop their vocabulary. The children are encouraged to use phonics for
blending as the main strategy for decoding unknown words.
In each classroom, there is a book corner, which contains books of interest to the children and the topics they are studying. There is a school library, which contains a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction books. Our aim is that the children should be able to read these books with at least 95% accuracy. This means children can enjoy reading without frustration and read with pleasure!
Independent Reading Books
Our main reading scheme is Bug Club. We supplement this with OxfordReading Tree, Rigby Star and Song Birds. All of these books are banded according to ability levels. Children change their independent reading books regularly and these are carefully matched to their ability. Teachers carefully monitor the changing of books to ensure they are on track and can enjoy their book independently.
Early Reading
At Broadfield Academy, is is our mission to ensure Reading is at the centre of learning at home and at school. We are determined that every child will be given the best possible opportunity to learn to read, regardless of their background, needs or abilities. We begin this journey in Early Years and introduce our pupils to a wide range of stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction texts. In Early Years, we begin the sequential learning of Reading which follow children through to Year 6 and beyond, preparing them for their future school career and life.
Becoming a Fluent Reader in Early Years
At Broadfield Academy, systematic synthetic Phonics is taught. Throughout Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, Letters and Sounds in conjunction with Phonics Play and Bug Club Phonics is used to teach Phonics. When needed, the Letters and Sounds Phase 1 is followed in Nursery to promote the appropriate speaking and listening skills. In order to ensure Phonics is accessed by all children, kinaesthetic and multi-sensory strategies are used to engage learners, e.g. song, sensory, rhyme and formation. Our Phonics programme matches the expectations set by the National Curriculum.
The Environment
The indoor and outdoor provision caters for all areas of learning and within these. Reading is promoted. Opportunities for Phonics and Reading development are readily available, e.g. topic books linked to the activity, sensory writing, literacy resources and engaging and interactive displays. Each classroom is rich with texts to promote a genuine interest in Reading.
Developing a Love for Reading in Early Years
In Early Years at Broadfield, we develop enjoyment for Reading and promote this in the following way:
Reading Cafe:
An opportunity for parents to join us in the morning to listen to and share stories.
Book Fair:
We have a Book fair every year and children are exposed to new books and are able to purchase them.
Read with Me – Parent Volunteers:
Parents are invited into the classroom to read with / listen to children read.
Book Corners:
A cosey book corner space is in every classroom for children to use and read comfortably in.
Library:
A dedicated library is available in both KS1 and KS2 for children to engage in books and for teachers to promote Reading in a suitable environment.
Meetings with Parents:
Parents can make an appointment to discuss their child’s development at anytime in addition to formal parent consultations.
Phonics
Letters and Sounds, a DfE publication, is our main resource for teaching Phonics. We use this in conjunction with an online resources called, Phonics Play and Bug Club Phonics.
Phonics is taught in a daily
discrete lesson of 20 minute sessions, with each lesson split into 4 parts:
revisit / revise (previous learning)
teach (new GPC or tricky word)
practise (differentiated activity)
apply (read or write sentences or text)
Children are taught in class groups. In Year 2, children who did not meet the standard in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check have extra Phonics interventions.
Recommended Reading Books
The following book lists are provided to parents as a guide to the range of books we recommend children should read in each year group. Please see below for a list of recommended reading books.
We did it, we made it to the end of the term! The demands of this term have been like no other. We have never had a three-week term before, and it feels like a full term has taken place. Pupils and teachers have worked so hard since our return and are all ready for the Easter break. It has been absolutely amazing to have our children back. Pupils are where they should be – in school learning! The term has flown by and school life has been busy. The buzz of school life brings joy and happiness to all. As ...
If your child tests positive for corona virus (COVID-19) at any point during the Easter break, please notify Aspire Academies Trust as soon as possible, so they can complete the relevant track and trace process with Public Health England and notify any other children or staff who have been in close contact and who may need to self-isolate.
During the holidays, please contact covidcases@aspireacademies.org.uk. This will only be monitored until Sunday 11 April 2021.
This email address will be monitored by the Aspire Central Team. Please include the following information:
Child’s name
Year group
School he/she attends
Date of their positive test result
Please do not call the ...
Reminder school closes to pupils after lunchtime. All finishing times have been emailed to parents, please refer back to this for times for each class.
We are excited to have our children returning to school on Monday 8th February. Communication has been sent out via email with start and finish times of classes, expectations and outlining our safety measures. Please ensure you have read this communication.
We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday
It is great news to know that all our children will be returning to school on Monday 8th March as set out by the Prime Minister. We are still working on our return to school plan and this will be sent out via email next week once we have checked it thoroughly to ensure we have everything in place to keep all our children, parents and staff safe. We look forward to seeing you soon.
As you are aware, there has been much speculation in the news relating to possible school closures and delaying the start of term for pupils. You may also be aware that unions have advised teachers to exercise their right to work remotely via a Section 44 letter on the grounds of health and safety at work. The Government have put Headteachers in a very difficult situation. Whilst we understand last minute decisions are not ideal, we are doing our very best to update you as soon as information is available to us.
I can confirm Broadfield Academy will now provide education ...
Broadfield Academy will be moving to remote learning from Tuesday 5th January 2021. Communication has been sent out to all parents via the school gateway.
Please be aware that the last day of term is Friday 18th December at 1:30pm. Due to the timing of the most recent announcement from the DfE, we do not feel that there is appropriate notice for children and parents to end the term early.
This coming week sees parents evening for the following year groups: Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5.
Year 2 and Year 6 will have their parents evening week commencing 23rd November 2020.
SEND ADPR’s will take place during parents evening and slots have been pre-booked and you should have received your link by email. All other parents slots can be booked via the school parents evening system, links were sent out by email.
