Reading at Parkwood
It is our intention that all
children become successful, fluent readers who enjoy engaging in a wide range
of texts. We understand the important role reading plays in the lives of our
pupils and how it impacts on their learning in all other areas of the
curriculum. We believe that learning to read is an essential part of every
child’s education. Our reading curriculum starts with discrete teaching of synthetic
phonics along side developing a love of reading, using high quality texts that are language rich. Parkwood
Primary School prioritises the development of reading fluency and as our
children become readers, they develop their thinking around and understanding
of texts more deeply.
How Reading is Taught
Phonics 
At Parkwood Primary, the very start of your child's reading development starts with the teaching of phonics using a programme called Read Write Inc. This is a daily session that starts in Foundation Stage with the children learning their initial sounds and blending these sounds into words so that, early on, the children experience success. The children then move on to learning to read the same sounds with alternative graphemes. Phonic books are matched to the children's increasing knowledge of phonics and as children re-read these stories their fluency develops. Prompts for thinking out loud and discussion help the children understand what they are reading.
Use the link below for really useful phonics and reading advice for parents:
Whole Class Reading 
Once our children have completed our phonics programme, their reading journey continues with a focus on reading fluency. We use high quality texts across the school. The daily sessions incorporate whole class modelling prior to the children applying their skills through partner work and independent reading. Understanding is deepened by the use of a series of reading strategies which are discussed and modelled. Our children read with greater understanding, independence and, above all, enjoy reading more. These structured reading sessions allow the children the opportunity to explore both reading for pleasure and purpose.