Skip to content ↓

East Sheen Primary

Upper Richmond Rd West, London, SW14 8ED

Reading Beyond Phonics

Learning to Read at East Sheen Primary School

(Phonics Programme: Read, Write, Inc.) 

Learning to read is one of the most important educational steps for our children - reading underpins almost all aspects of the curriculum and research shows it is the most accurate prediction of future success in education. As a result, at East Sheen Primary School, we focus lots of energy, time and enthusiasm to help all our pupils become successful readers who love reading and to continue to do so throughout their lives. 

Learning to read and write depends on first having a sound basis in the spoken language, so the journey towards becoming a reader starts from birth. Being part of a ‘talk-a-lot’ family and sharing books from the earliest age will equip your child well for learning to decode texts as they start school. 

‘’Reading and writing floats on a sea of talk” (James Britton, 1983)

Please see our 'Early Reading and Phonics' page to understand more about how children begin their reading education at our school.

Focused reading opportunities at school will be supported in a number of ways: reading activities during phonics lessons, guided reading sessions (a small, teacher-led reading group), and individual reading to a teacher or parent helper. Independent reading is also encouraged by activities accessed throughout the day.

Teaching of the reading process doesn’t stop when children can successfully decode using their phonics! Reading is much more than that. Children continue to develop comprehension skills, demonstrating an understanding of the texts they read and expressing opinions. They also learn the art of reading for an audience, using appropriate expression as they respond to punctuation in the text.

In Key Stage Two, children continue to use high quality texts as the basis for their learning in English lessons. In addition, they have guided reading sessions, comprehension skills lessons and time for independent reading. Every half-term, children complete on online assessment of their reading comprehension (Star Reading) and are given a score; this score helps children ensure they chose books that match their interest level and comprehension ability. Children then complete online quizzes on books they have read to check understanding (Accelerated Reader), earning themselves points and working towards becoming ‘Word Millionaires’. Again, children are encouraged to read a variety of texts and do so for pleasure as well as to help with their learning.

Each class has a daily story time, where the class enjoy listening to an engaging story.

Year Group specific book lists can be found in the Year Group pages of the website