Reading plays a big part in learning in our school and its foundations lie in a strong focus on phonics from the very moment the children start school. We are proud of our attainment and progress in phonics and reading throughout school; however, we never rest on our laurels and are always looking at ways to continuously improve.  We have a well-stocked library, ensure that children have a class story read to them each day (in all year groups) and we match our texts in Guided Reading and Humanities/Science to the topic being taught, ensuring we are ambitious in our choices in order to challenge the children. We base our reading curriculum content on the EYFS and national curriculum milestones, and we also break these down termly so we know that learning to read is based on a progressive model.  We have recently launched our '101 books to read before leaving High Ash' as a scheme to encourage a life-long love of reading.  

We ensure that our children read good quality fiction and non-fiction texts. 

Phonics Lead - Mrs Natalie Barrasford

Reading Lead - Mrs Ella Derham

All Phase Leaders are also responsible for reading within their year groups and this is monitored and overseen by the Senior Leadership Team.

We use Read Write Inc as our Phonics programme and this is in place across Foundation and Key Stage One. Phonics is taught daily in Foundation and KS1 at 9am and the children are in small, fluid ability groups to allow us to maximise their progress. We track their progress in Phonics every six weeks and adapt provision/groupings accordingly. 

In Foundation Stage and KS1, reading books are linked to the phonics sounds being taught and build on their blending skills and knowledge of 'red words'- these are words that they need to know by sight as they cannot be sounded out phonetically.

Early Reading in Key Stage One

In Years One and Two, the children follow the RWI Scheme and progress through the stages as guided by their teacher and which builds on their blending, developing fluency, accuracy and understanding.

When children have completed the RWI scheme, they move onto guided reading sessions, which ensures the children become confident readers and develop their comprehension and inference skills. Reading is assessed regularly using NFER (National Foundation for Educational Research) assessments as well as the national reading standards at the end of Year Two.

Children take home reading books linked to their phonics stage, yet also a library book for an adult to read at home to them. This really  supports a love of reading and develops vocabulary.

We also provide additional interventions to support children with reading if needed.

Reading in Key Stage Two

We aim to triangulate our reading in Key Stage Two so that Guided Reading, class novels and texts in Topic are all linked in order to support reading enjoyment, broaden vocabulary and  secure knowledge acquisition.

Guided Reading is taught at least three times a week and is based on a whole-class approach to Guided Reading. In addition to this, our English teaching sequence always starts with a reading week and a focus on vocabulary. 

Reading is assessed regularly using NFER assessments as well as the national reading standards at the end of Year Six.

For children who may need extra support, we also provide a range of reading interventions led by our teachers and teaching assistants.

101 Books to read before leaving High Ash

High Ash CE is dedicated to inspiring more children to read for pleasure.  We truly believe that reading is one of the most important aspects to achieving success in life.

One of our top priorities is to instil a love for reading in our pupils.  We believe that by fostering a love for books, we are opening doors to endless possibilities for our children.  With this in mind, it is our responsibility to promote and encourage a reading culture within our school.  To achieve this goal, we have compiled a list of 101 books for children to read before they leave High Ash School.

These books have been carefully selected to provide a diverse and interesting range of reading experiences for our children.   As they progress through school, they can aim to read the books on the list and mark them off.  We hope that this will not only encourage a love for reading but also challenge our pupils to explore different genres and authors.

We believe that through this initiative our children will develop a love for reading that will last a lifetime and open up a world of knowledge and imagination.  This list is by no means an exhaustive list nor one that children must complete, yet it is something which may support parents when finding books for children to read at home.  There are no extrinsic rewards for completing the list other than the rich reading experience your child will receive.