At St Mary and St Joseph's we aim:

• To develop children's interest in and love of books, encouraging children to become attentive listeners and independent readers
• To promote and encourage children's lifelong love of reading.
• To develop children's reading strategies and skills: accuracy, fluency, understanding and response to texts.
• To develop children 's children's skills required for critical reading of texts.
• To develop children's skills required for critical reading of texts.
• To develop children's ability to use and manipulate a variety of texts both fiction and non-fiction.
• To encourage reading though a variety of texts, through the use of the libraries, ICT and other available media.

We use the Read, Write Inc scheme to teach reading. RWI is a method of learning based upon letter sounds and phonics, and we use it to support children in their reading and writing. Reading opens the door to learning. A child who reads a lot will become a good reader. A good reader will be able to read more challenging material. A child who can read more challenging material is a child who will learn. The more a child learns, the more he or she will want to find out.

Using RWI, the children learn to read effortlessly so they can put all their energy into comprehending what they read. It also allows them to spell effortlessly so they can put all their energy into composing what they write. The children are assessed regularly and grouped according to their ability. They will work with a RWI trained teacher or teaching assistant. In addition to the RWI, children will also be working on writing skills in their classes with their own teacher.

For more information about Read, Write Inc click on the link below to access the full website. 

• Read, Write Inc

Accelerated Reader

In Key Stage 2 we use Accelerated Reader as our independent and home reader programme. 

AR is a computer program that helps teachers manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Your child picks a book at his own level and reads it at his own pace. When finished, your child takes a short quiz on the computer. (Passing the quiz is an indication that your child understood what was read.) AR gives children, teachers, and parents feedback based on the quiz results, which the teacher then uses to help your child set goals and direct ongoing reading practice. Children using AR choose their own books to read, rather than having one assigned to them. This makes reading a much more enjoyable experience as they can choose books that are interesting to them. Teachers help your child choose books at an appropriate readability level that are challenging without being frustrating, ensuring that your child can pass the quiz and experience success.

As with anything, performance improves with practice. Encourage your child to read at home. Create a culture of reading in your household by reading with your child, starting a home library, visiting your local library or bookstore on a regular basis, letting your child see you reading, and discussing books that each of you has read. When reading with your child, stop and ask questions to be sure your child is comprehending what is read. Reading with your child, no matter what the child’s age, is an important part of developing a good reader, building a lifelong love of reading and learning, and creating a loving relationship between you and your child. Make learning a family affair!.

Renaissance Home Connect

You can be involved with your child’s progress through Renaissance Home Connect. By joining Home Connect you can 

-View all books that your child has read and the quizzes that they have taken.

-Access the online search tool – AR Book Finder to search for books using various search criteria, including author, subject or reading level.

-Receive emails that will show you the results of Reading practice Quizzes when your child takes them.

Use the links below to view information for parents on the Accelerated Reader official website.

January 2019

This half term all of the pupils in Key Stage Two answered a questionnaire to allow the school to find out if our investment in Accelerated Reader is having a positive impact upon pupils' reading habits. Use the links below to see the Year group results and targets for the future. 

End of Year Expectations

Each year group in the school has a set of 'End of Year Expectations' in Reading.  It is    hoped that children will achieve these expectations and even move on to achieve some of those included in the following year group.  Click on the links below to view the expectations for your child's year group.

What has been going on in school?

Thankyou to everyone who joined in with our World Book Day, both at home and in school. We had some amazing entries for our Magical Story Jar competition and your teachers loved listening to your ideas during your Zoom sessions. We also had lots of feedback from our Masked Reader Competition. We are really pleased that you enjoyed watching these as much as we enjoyed making them.

Take a look at our Magical Story jars