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At Wilkinson we aim to create a love of learning that will stay with the child for their entire life. We aim to share our reading continuously in a variety of ways and across the curriculum. Without being fluent in reading, the child will always be at a disadvantage. We want the children at Wilkinson to be fluent, confident readers from which they can gain pleasure, enjoyment and a wide range of information.

 

All children are heard read in school.  We believe this is fundamentally important so as to build up a positive attitude towards reading, keeping the child motivated and to ensure the child continues to make swift progress with their reading ability. To have time, individually with an adult, discussing books, is a tremendous method of instilling our ethos toward reading.

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The child is also heard through Guided Reading sessions where the teacher works with a small group of children. They read together and then they explore the section of text read to develop a much deeper understanding of the text. This happens twice a week in the Literacy Session or in RW Inc. sessions.

Children are also heard on a 1:1 basis at least once a week. The teacher hears the child read some of their home reader book as well as asking them some questions as to what they have read at home. Parents are asked to sign the child's reading diary to show the child has read at home. As a reward for getting their book signed at home, the child is given a sticker on their individual book mark. At the end of the school year, the child in each class with the most stickers on their book mark is taken to Waterstones in Walsall where they can have a book of their choice.

 

At Wilkinson we have a broad reading scheme linked to age related texts. This scheme builds up the child's confidence and fluency allowing them to feel success and enjoyment in reading. Our reading scheme has a wide range of books from Story World, Reading Planet, Bug Club, Big Cat and National Geographic. We have recently replaced our Ginn reading books with Reading Planet to provide the children with a variety of current texts. Reading Planet is also available online which allows the children to access their reading books on a device at home and this ensures that children are able to access reading opportunities in different ways. Regular assessments (as in writing), Guided reading, 1:1 reading all allow the teacher to decide whether the child is able to move onto the next band. The child's target is shared with the child as well as with the parent. At all times, the child and the adult is aware of the current level of work and where the child needs to move to next.

 

Each class has a "Book Corner" where books are displayed covering a range of topics and are from a variety of cultures. Classes also have a range of books for use linked to current topics being covered in that term. Children are encouraged to use the books from the Reading Corner. Each class has a "Class Reader" where the teacher reads a book with the class. Children also have a Reading For Pleasure session at the beginning of every afternoon where the child reads their school book. Each class has a session in the school library where they are able to choose a book from the well-stocked shelves. They have the book for one or two weeks before changing for a new book.

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Regular book events are held throughout the year e.g. Roald Dahl Week, Magic Book Week, World Book Week, Shakespeare Fortnight, Fairy Tale Fortnight, Poetry Fortnight, Nursery Rhyme Fortnight, Book Fayre Week, Read For My School Competition, Inter School Book Quizzes, Inter House Book Quizzes, Staff and Children Book Quizzes, “Read with my Parent” allows parent to come into school once a week to read alongside their child, “Regular Reader” weekly competition allows children to achieve Golden Time awards for having their reading diary signed. All these events have the purpose of engaging the children (and parents) in reading and developing a lifelong love of reading.

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