“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.
Monday 19th October is school photo day, more information will be sent out via School Comms later today. Please can children come in wearing their red jumpers/cardigans and looking their usual smart selves. If your child has an after school club then can they bring a change of top for club in a bag ready to change at end of day, they can still wear tracksuit bottoms. We will still be taking sibling photos and this will be done taking care of keeping other children in bubbles etc. We have a robust risk assessment from Kittle, ...
Please check out important information regarding our new home learning on Google Classrooms, information sent out by email and on Learning tab. Please contact your childs teacher for more information.
On Friday 25th September we will be supporting MacMillian’s Great Coffee Morning with a new take on the day. Children are invited to bring a cake or sweet treat to have in their class bubbles with their teacher and peers. If your child bakes a cake at home, please take a picture and send in via the year group email where we will be creating a display. We are asking for a donation of £1 per child for MacMillan to donate on the following Just Giving site: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/broadfield-academy
Please find link to government website to request a covid test if you are symptomatic:
https://self-referral.test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk/antigen/name
Friday is Roald Dhal day here at Broadfield Academy. Children are encouraged to come to school dressed as a character from their favourite Roald Dhal book. We will be spending the day doing activities based around the author and his books.
We would like to say a big thank you to all our children and parents for all their support in making our first week go so well. We have enjoyed seeing you all and hearing about what you have been up to during lock down. We will continue to work hard to ensure all aspects of our school day go smoothly and look forward to your continuing support.
Reception children have their transition and class allocation information emailed at the beginning of July.
Outdoor picnic are held on Monday & Tuesday 7th & 8th September, stay and play Wednesday & Thursday 9th & 10th September and final stay and play on Friday 11th September.
Children will start in reception from Monday 14th September, please refer to letter to confirm times.
Children return to school on Thursday 3rd September, the school plan has been resent via email to all parents and start times refer to those children in Years 1 to 6. A copy of the plan can be found under the parent tab and letters. We are working very hard to ensure school is a safe and welcoming place for your child and we look forward to seeing them on Thursday.
Following the success of our annual Fun Run event over the past ten years, we are keen to continue with it this year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we cannot follow our normal structure.
This is an event that everyone can take part in, weather you are attending school or learning from home. For children who are at school, they will be running laps around the field at an allocated time in their bubble groups.
For children who are learning from home, we would like you to run laps of your garden, park or another suitable space. If you are taking part, ...
