At Evercreech Church of England Primary School, we promote a 'phonics first' approach for teaching early reading; in both our reading sessions at school and in the books children take home, texts are very closely matched to a child's current phonics knowledge so that every child can experience real success in their reading. In these crucial early stages of reading we use books that are closely matched to the Unlocking Letters and Sounds progression to ensure complete fidelity to the programme. Once children progress beyond decodable texts, they move onto our book scheme so that they can continue to progress in their decoding, fluency and comprehension skills to become avid, expert readers.

Alongside this, we foster an attitude of reading for pleasure to develop a love of books, using texts that are beyond children's current phonic abilities to develop their language, comprehension and imagination. Integral to this is providing with daily opportunities for speaking and listening; we use book talk to encourage children to talk and listen through positive reading experiences.  Our children develop their vocabulary through exposure to a broad range of stories, poems and discussion opportunities; this develops their comprehension skills and promotes opportunities for deeper thinking and questioning.

Children develop a love of reading through:

• Daily story times with a focus of repetition and opportunities to revisit parts of the texts.
• A range of stories and texts that reflect their own lives and experiences.
• Texts with rich and challenging vocabulary to develop children's understanding of language and promote empathy.
• Carefully selected books that promote discussion and opportunities for cross-curricular links.
• Teachers take time to learn about new releases and select books that reflect our children's interests.

Core Books

In Reception, we have identified Core Books which are the books we want to fully immerse our EYFS children in; these are read multiple times to support children in internalising their language and structures. Our core books change each term, so by the end of the Reception year our pupils have a library of 30-40 quality books that they know really well, preparing them well for the National Curriculum for reading.

"Reading frequently to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, and then
providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts, will give children the opportunity to thrive."

DfE (March 2021:8) ‘Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage’

   

In addition to our core books, we also have our Core Rhymes in recognition of the importance of the role that nursery rhymes play in children's language and reading development. We have identified eight core rhymes that we want our children to be able to recite and perform off-by-heart, and these are taught, learnt and practised throughout the year (in addition to our many other opportunities for rhymes and songs). 

"Experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they're four years old, they're usually among the best readers by the time they're eight."

Claire Bennett (2019) ‘The Importance of Nursery Rhymes in Early Childhood’

Through our voting station, children are also encouraged to develop their personal preference for books they would like to share.  

The Magic of Sharing Stories at Home

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." - Emilie Buchwald 

 

This short video by BookTrust talks about why reading is so important and why the role of parents/carers in this is crucial.