At Norman Street School, we teach the children to read (decoding) through ‘phonics’. Simply put, this is the process by which speech is written down. In Early Years and KS1, children have daily phonics sessions, using the Read, Write, Inc. programme. Read Write Inc. is rooted in children having lots of chances to overlearn; to hear and say the sounds they need to read and, in turn, overlearn what these sounds look like when they are written down. Children are assessed every 6–8 weeks and are taught in groups with children who know the same sounds as them, fluently.
Ofsted’s 2024 review of the early years of primary education, Strong Foundations in the First Years of School, found that where phonics teaching nationally has driven strong improvements in decoding, children also need enough time to practise and overlearn what they have been taught before being asked to move on to more complex reading. This principle of overlearning sits at the heart of how we teach phonics, and reading more widely, at Norman Street.
To support our teaching of phonics and the children’s overlearning of the sounds they need, we send home reading books for families to use at home.
One of the books children take home is a small ‘paper’ book which is mainly grey and white inside. This is for children to practise at home the sound that they are learning in their phonics lessons. These books are quite short and the words in them often rhyme. They give the children an opportunity to ‘overlearn’ the sound, and there are some questions at the back of this book which families can also look at with their children.
You can also follow this link to find out more about Read, Write, Inc:
From Early Years up to Year 6 we introduce the children to a wide range of books, genres and authors through high-quality, engaging texts.
Ofsted’s Strong Foundations review found that, nationally, decoding has improved a great deal since the introduction of the phonics screening check — but that once children can decode, the teaching of fluency is often far less consistent. Fluency is the bridge between decoding and comprehension: a child who has to work hard just to sound out words has little spare attention left to think about what a text means. At Norman Street, fluency is taught explicitly and is built into every class’s weekly timetable, rather than being left to develop by chance.
Staff take part in ongoing professional development, including Literacy Hub training on The Bridge to Fluency. The learning from this programme is shared across the school so that our teaching of fluency is consistent and effective from the point children complete Read Write Inc. right through to Year 6.
In KS2, our Love of Reading sessions follow the Fluent in Five process: a structured weekly sequence of fluency steps, building to a dedicated fluency task at the end of the week. Pupils reread the same short text several times across the week, developing accuracy, automaticity and expression (prosody) rather than reading it once and moving on. Year 3 and 4 pupils record their responses on whiteboards, while Year 5 and 6 pupils complete their early-week tasks on whiteboards and record their Friday fluency work formally in books. Year 2 children who have completed the Read Write Inc. phonics scheme also begin early fluency practice within their morning groups, so the move from phonics into fluency happens without a gap.
This repeated, rehearsed practice gives pupils frequent opportunities to reread and read aloud, so that reading becomes fluent and confident enough to support full understanding of a text, not just accurate decoding of it.
Our timetable ensures that Book Club, fluency sessions, class reading and class story opportunities are embedded each week. This gives children regular experiences of shared reading, discussion, rehearsal and reading for pleasure.
Every class takes part in a 20-minute Book Club session each Monday. In KS1, pupils choose a book to take home and enjoy with their families, with parents recording their reading in their child’s reading record. The following week, children select a new book and share their recommendations with their classmates, helping to build a strong culture of reading talk across the school.
Children in Years 1 and 2 enjoy regular Class Story sessions, where an adult reads aloud a high-quality text. Stories are chosen from the local library, classroom collections, classic texts, fairy tales, non-fiction and books linked to pupils’ interests. Listening to stories helps children build vocabulary, imagination and a love of reading, and gives them a model of fluent, expressive reading to aspire to.
In Key Stage 2, Class Reading sessions provide opportunities for children to read and discuss texts together. Teachers model expression, tone and pace, helping children deepen their understanding, hear what fluent reading sounds like, and enjoy shared reading as a class community.
Across the school, our aim is simple: to make every child a confident, fluent reader who loves books. Through high-quality teaching, consistent routines and varied reading experiences, we ensure that reading — and the fluency that underpins it — sits at the heart of our curriculum and our wider school culture.
If you would like more information about reading at Norman Street Primary School or ideas for supporting reading at home, please speak to your child’s class teacher.
Reading and discussing stimulating fiction, non-fiction and poetry in class also develops children’s comprehension skills. Every day, children throughout school receive explicit teaching of reading skills. Children need good linguistic knowledge (in particular of vocabulary and grammar) and a broad knowledge of the world. Throughout the curriculum we plan enriching learning experiences, in and out of class, to broaden the children’s knowledge of themselves and the world. In KS2, we have a daily Love of Reading session, in addition to our English lessons.
Books are at the heart of school life at Norman Street Primary School; we want our children to discover their own genuine love of reading. In order to do this, we have in place a number of ways to show them that reading is, above all, fun.
“The school has prioritised the teaching of reading. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of how pupils learn to read. In the early years, staff reinforce children’s learning through songs, games and rhymes. The delivery of the phonics scheme begins at the start of the Reception Year and staff have received appropriate training that enables them to deliver the scheme successfully. Suitable assessments enable staff to identify any gaps in phonics knowledge to ensure that pupils keep up or catch up quickly. This is particularly evident in pupils who speak English as an additional language. These pupils are making rapid progress with their reading knowledge.
A love of reading permeates the school. Pupils benefit from regularly listening to, and sharing, stories with their class. Pupils read widely, and they are well informed about a range of genres and authors who interest them.”
Ofsted 2024
Research shows that a child who reads for pleasure every day greatly increases their life chances. Here are some ideas you can try at home:
If you would like any more information about reading, please contact school and we’ll be happy to help.
