Reading at St Andrews

At St Andrews staff have been trained to deliver ‘Read Write Inc’ to help our children learn to read in

Reception Year 1 and Year 2. RWI is a proven and effective approach whereby children are taught to read using phonics and apply strategies to develop their reading comprehension.

 As your children move into Year 3, they are introduced to Guided Reading as part of the literacy focused daily ‘Challenge Carousel’. Texts are chosen to develop and widen reading skills, whilst promoting a love of books. As readers, children enjoy sharing knowledge they’ve gained as well as places and characters they’ve encountered along the way,igniting their growing imagination. In Guided Reading sessions, the children work in small groups focusing on specific elements of their reading. Children complete their weekly guided reading homework and strong links are established between reading and writing, developing children to read as writers and write as readers.  

'Accelerated Reader'  further supports children's comprehension skills in Key Stage 2

Accelerated Reader is a computer based program that helps teachers and parents monitor children's independent reading practise:

• Your child picks a book at his/her own level and reads it at his/her own pace.
• When finished, your child takes a short quiz on the computer to see how well they have understood the book.
• Children have a free choice of the books they read. This makes reading a much more enjoyable experience as they feel in control and can choose books that are interesting to them.
• Teachers and the librarian will help your child choose books that are at an appropriate reading level. These will be challenging without being frustrating and will also be at a level at which your child can pass the quiz and experience success.