“Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (Corinthians 13:7)
Be the Best we can be, guided by God’s love.
encouraging everyone to achieve their God-given potential,
develop their talents, celebrate their uniqueness,
and rejoice in the joy of belonging to God’s family.
Developing literate citizens of the future.
English enables pupils to develop a love of literature which is shared and encouraged. Children will develop and understanding of how our language works and be able to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them, whilst engaging with quality texts. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Reading will enable pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know, enabling them to participate fully as a member of society. Writing allows pupils to express themselves creatively and with clarity, refining their ability to organise ideas, adapt their style for different purposes and audiences, and develop their own voice as authors.
Phonics Bug Club
We use Phonics Bug club to ensure:
- A solid foundation in reading for all: Bug Club Phonics uses the systematic synthetic phonics approach. This heavily influenced current government policy as it was shown to give the best foundation in reading for all children regardless of social and economic background.
- With fiction and non-fiction titles from Phases 1 to 5 this ensures children read from books with the sounds they know as they are learning to read. Phonically decodable books are also used from Oxford Reading Tree Floppy's phonics and Songbirds.
- Accessible and inclusive phonics teaching.
- Comfortable and confident learners: Videos of well-known CBeebies characters are weaved into lessons and characters, such as the Alphablocks, appear in the books helping to link the children’s home environment with the school.
- A rich and varied reading experience: As part of the Bug Club other books are woven in that aren’t fully decodable to ensure enthusiasm for reading is nurtured.
- Frequent and detailed assessment: In addition to the end of unit and phase summative assessments, appropriate and informal assessment opportunities are offered in the daily lessons and through fun games in the online world.
Please click on the link below for a video to support saying the pure phonic sounds.
Saying the pure phonics sounds
At CVSF we want to develop all children’s ability to decode but also to be able to understand the texts which they read. We aim to provide opportunities for children to read for a purpose but also to read for enjoyment too by valuing and introducing a wide variety of reading material.
Our English curriculum is based on carefully chosen texts for each class which link to the topics they are studying. These texts are used to inspire writing of all genres. There is a variety of fiction, non-fiction and poetry within each term and texts have been chosen to reflect the diverse world in which we live with a mix of authors old and new. During the year, we have a focus book which the whole school studies and enjoys. An example of this was The Barnabus Project which also had a whole school focus on emotional health and wellbeing.
All teachers read aloud to their class each day and once a week devote a session to ‘Book Talk’ and give children a chance to express their opinions about the books they enjoy. All classes have a book area where children can choose to read for pleasure through the day.
Children are strongly encouraged to take part in reading competitions such as the Yearly Library Holiday Challenge and Calderdale Book of the Year. Each year, we use Book Week (usually around World Book Day) to celebrate books and authors and to engage everyone, staff and students into reading for pleasure. During that week, we have had Book Fairs, and reading competitions such as ‘extreme reading challenges’ and of course lots of dressing up.
Click here to see how Phonics Bug Club supports pupils with SEND.
Click here to see how Phonics is adjusted for pupils with SEND.
Guided Reading
At our school, reading is at the heart of learning; we use ActivLearn Pearson to support whole-class reading. Teachers select high-quality, level-appropriate texts from the platform for the entire class, enabling all children to read and explore the same text together.
During sessions, the teacher guides the class in reading aloud, discussing ideas, and exploring vocabulary, helping children to develop comprehension, inference, and critical thinking skills. ActivLearn Pearson provides discussion prompts, comprehension questions, and activities that support understanding and encourage children to talk confidently about what they read.
The platform also helps teachers to plan lessons and track understanding, ensuring that all children are engaged and challenged at their level while enjoying shared reading experiences.
Reading is a vital life skill, and in Year 6 we provide a bespoke curriculum designed to prepare pupils for the transition to high school and beyond. Alongside developing strong reading and writing skills, children build independence, confidence, resilience, and responsibility. Through carefully chosen texts, discussion, and purposeful learning experiences, Year 6 pupils are supported to think critically, manage expectations, and develop the skills they need for secondary education and life.
In Class 1 and 2 (or as needed), a phonics based approach is the main focus but as word-reading and fluency develops the comprehension skills below are taught and practised—
Vocabulary
Inference
Prediction
Explanation
Retrieval
Summarising
Class 1 (and Class 2 as needed) also have group reading and all children read 1:1 with an adult to practise reading. These books are carefully matched to the phonic phase or reading stage the children are working on. Any children who need additional support in reading will also benefit from additional 1:1 or small group sessions.
Home Reading
All children take books home to share. Younger children have books carefully matched to their phonic phase, while older children progress through reading stages before becoming free readers, choosing their own books. Parents are encouraged to read with or to their children, and all reading is recorded in home-school reading logs so staff can monitor progress, ensure a range of texts, and respond to children’s interests in the classroom.
Home Reading Rewards
We encourage children to read at home regularly and celebrate their achievements through our home reading rewards. When a child reads at least three times a week with an adult signature, they earn recognition over time:
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5 weeks: certificate
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10 weeks: pencil
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15 weeks: bookmark
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20 weeks: book
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30 weeks: £5 voucher
This system helps motivate children to read regularly, develop a love of reading, and share their progress with their family and teachers. We present the children with their awards during our Celebration Praise.
Our Reading Nook and Library ... where else would you rather be!
