Phonics & Early Reading

At Hucknall Flying High, we ensure Early Reading is prioritised throughout our curriculum to ensure the children become confident and fluent readers. We believe that knowledge is a seed, that grows when you read.

To ensure that a rigorous approach to the teaching of reading is implemented we hold high aspirations and ambitions for all children. We ensure this is prioritised by putting reading at the forefront of ‘Making Every Day Count’ to unlock and prevent barriers to learning throughout the curriculum.

We do this by:

• Ensuring daily opportunities to practice reading are built into our curriculum.

• Prioritising 1:1 daily reading for ‘spotlight’ and ‘vulnerable’ readers.

• Ensuring whole class high quality phonics teaching takes place daily for children in EYFS – Year 2 and KS2 if appropriate.

• Applying a consistent and rigiorous approach.

• Provide children with reading books that match their decodable knowledge, ensuring they can be successful readers.

• Working in partnership with parents to provide knowledge and support on how to help at home.

Our 'Reading Flight' path below, documents the journey of reading across school.

Quality First Phonics Teaching

We follow a DfE validated scheme known as 'No-Nonsense Phonics'.

The programme provides a comprehensive step-by-step approach for teaching reading, handwriting, and spelling. The scheme is systematic and is taught through a series of carefully designed phonics routines to master the complex English Alphabetic Code, whilst providing the children with rich vocabulary and extensive opportuntuies for language comprehension.

The programme follows a two-day approach known as a 'Multi-skills' lesson and a 'Mini-story' lesson. Staff are trained in the delivery of the programme with on-going CPL to ensure the children receive high-quality Phonics teaching. 

Each child has their own 'No-Nonsense' workbook, with children moving through these sequentially from Book 1-9. The children's Phonics journey begins in Nursery and follows them into Year 2. When children move into KS2 any further support with phonetic knowledge is revisited and taught as part of an intervention, if required.

Alongside the quality teaching and learning, staff ensure that parents are provided with further information on the programme and how this can supported at home through resources, live lessons and online content shared via the class 'dojo' page.

Daily Reading & Decodable Books

We want our children to feel confident in reading, and aim to inspire a love for this early. Therefore, we prioritise Early Reading through ‘Our Rise and Shine’ reading sessions; allowing children to practice their reading daily with their matched decodable book.  Books are allocated based upon the codes that the children have learnt in order, this enables them to have books that match their code knowledge. These are known as 'decodable books'. Books are carefully allocated by school staff to ensure it is at an appropriate level for the children to read as we ultimately want to ensure success, engagement and enjoyment of reading. 

To ensure children have plentiful opportunities to revisit, practice and enjoy reading we follow a three-book approach for children in EYFS, KS1. Children who continue to require support with their Phonic knowledge will also follow this approach. It includes:

• A reading for pleasure book, chosen by the child.
• A decodable book, chosen by the adult dependent on their knowledge of codes (sounds).
• A decodable book, chosen by the adult from the previous week. This is to revisit and gain further fluency with the familiar text/storyline.

A reading diary and other scaffolds such as flash cards and word mats are available within the reading folders that are sent home, including the three-books above.

Below you will find a visual representation as an example:

1:1 Reading

We ensure that all children are read with 1:1 each week. Additional reading known as 'daily reading' takes place for children who require further practice. During this time all staff follow our 1:1 reading sequence, which is a four step approach. We follow a consistent approach to ensure all children are provided with the same high-quality reading experience, and scaffolds and support are put in place to enhance reading.  

You can see the sequence and strategies staff use below:

Phonics Screening Check

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Reading for Pleasure

Reading for Pleasure is a culture that is embedded throughout school. We aim to promote a love and enjoyment for reading to enable children to succeed within school and into adulthood. Research shows that the impact of reading can develop children's self esteem, confidence and well-being whilst giving them an insight into the wider world.

We do this by:

• Holding weekly reading mornings with parents and careers to share books and stories. 

• Create high-quality reading spaces within the classroom and throughout the whole school environment. Our whole school fiction and non-fiction library emphasise our love of books, texts and reading.

• Trips to the local library, immersing the children within their local community and exploring the range of books on offer.

• Class novels to promote a love of reading.