Reading

Reading is at the heart of everything we learn at Sandfield.  Books are sent home with pupils every day to help children learn the joy of reading for pleasure, as well as being able to access the whole curriculum.

During school time, teachers and teaching assistants will listen to children read on a regular basis. Learning Diaries are used as a tool for two-way communication and the importance of supporting children to read at home is highly promoted. In Key Stage One, all children are heard read at least once a week with children in Key Stage 2 reading to an adult every two weeks.

All children will have a personal reading book which they will read both in school and at home. In Key Stage 1, this reading book will be matched to each child’s current phonics ability. Children who have passed through all of the phonic phases will continue to choose books from our colour coded individual reading book boxes, which increase in challenge and difficulty. Children are expected to be able to read their book to a 90% degree of fluency before the reading book will be changed by an adult.

Children in Key Stage 2 are able to select their reading books from the top 100 book lists in lower and upper Key Stage 2. The children will also be assigned an online text linked to their phonetic ability via the Activ Learn Bug Club Phonics programme, if so required.  All children will always have the opportunity to choose a loan book from the school library.

Reading levels are thoroughly assessed using the PM Benchmark scheme, which enables us to decide when a child is ready to move on to the next book band level. In Key Stage 1, children will be benchmarked once they have reached the end of ‘green’ and ‘turquoise’ coloured books. In Key Stage 2, the children will be benchmarked at the end of ‘white’ level reading books.

Reading Workshop Presentation with Miss McIllory

Bug Club Letter to Parents 24.01.2022

Link to the Reading & Writing Pupil Voice Questionnaire – Closing date: 30/11/2021

Link to the Reading & Writing Parent and Carer Questionnaire – Closing date: 30/11/2021

Newsletter Autumn Term 2021

Each phase group has a set of the top 100 books, which are recommended for children to read at their age.

Useful website links for Reading: