Reading

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free” ~ Frederick Douglas

Intent

At Oakwood, reading is given a central role in the curriculum and is given the highest priority.  We promote a passion for reading as we believe that this benefits the children and allows them to become lifelong readers. Our reading curriculum allows children to try their best, continue even when we are finding it difficult and become resilient readers. We provide a diverse reading environment where children are read texts about different cultures and experiences and are given the opportunity to show respect and empathy for a character’s point of view. We allow children time to explore texts, to further develop their curiosity. This is often completed in a group, where they ask questions about a text as a team. Throughout children’s time at Oakwood, they will show strength and pride in their reading, striving for excellence. 

We believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school. 

As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At Oakwood, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

We value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

Encourage your Child to Read

We have created our own videos of children talking about reading – click below to view our videos.