At Bournes Green Infant School, we want the children to develop a lifelong love of reading. The children are immersed in a reading curriculum that is rich, varied and enjoyable. Teachers model expert reading and use quality texts across the curriculum which allow the children to interrogate, yet at the same time capture their imaginations. We believe that for our children to become fluent readers and writers, phonics must be taught through a systematic and structured phonics programme.

We use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to plan and provide daily engaging phonic lessons. Our phonics teaching starts in EYFS and follows a specific sequence, that allows our children to master phonic strategies as they move through the school. Children follow the Big Cat reading scheme, which supports every child to not only develop strong phonic knowledge but to also foster a love of reading. Whilst fluency is developing, children have a fully decodable book, which is expertly aligned to each child's phonic journey to ensure all children move from decoding words to reading fluently.

Children in EYFS and for those children in KS1 who are still on their phonic journey, engage in reading practice sessions twice a week to further practise and develop their decoding skills, prosody and expression. Each child's reading journey is tracked to ensure systematic progression. Children in Year 2, have daily shared reading lessons. This is an interactive read-aloud experience where the teacher supports the children in participating in reading the book and conversing about it. Each lesson has a rigorous and clear pedagogy that addresses key skills needed to become a proficient reader. Lessons ensure that while children are learning the vital principles of decoding, they are also being exposed to rich texts with more complex vocabulary allowing children to have a greater depth of understanding of what they read. Furthermore, these lessons provide opportunities to develop oracy, as collaboratively, children talk and explore effective language, themes and the author’s intent. In EYFS and KS1 children are exposed to books in all curriculum areas, books which are diverse, complex in plot and provide knowledge for other subjects. Children make connections, vocabulary is enhanced and improved, which impacts on their reading comprehension.

Story time at Bournes Green Infant School is an essential part of our school day. The children are exposed to varied texts which have been carefully selected to encourage higher levels of understanding but most importantly texts which the children can get lost in, make connections and simply enjoy.