English - Reading

At Glebe, we use the 'Read Write Inc' programme in the early stages of teaching children to read. This is a rigorous and dynamic synthetic phonics scheme where children are taught to decode and segment unfamiliar words. This enables them to comprehend what they read, read with fluency and expression and write confidently. The children are taught the sounds in the English language and their alternative spellings in small ability groups. Through the 'Read Write Inc' programme, they learn quickly and effectively through brisk, lively and fun sessions.

Please follow these links to find out more about RWI. There are also lots of free online resources available to support with learning at home.

• Support for parents/carers with phonics 
• More support for parents/carers with phonics
• online e-books for children

Reading at home every day is essential for developing a fluent reader.

Each week, children on the RWI programme, will bring home:

• A picture book of their choice to encourage a love of reading
• A ‘Book bag book’ which matches their RWI colour band
• A photocopy of the book they have been reading in their RWI group that week.

We are very proud of our purpose built library, fully stocked and managed by a team of pupil Library Ambassadors, and all classrooms have interchangeable books to keep up with the newest and most popular reads. Our extensive book stock includes: general fiction, non-fiction, curriculum linked/topic based fiction and non-fiction, guided reading sets, picture books, graphic novels, newspapers and magazines, as well as colour banded books graded to match our RWI phonics programme. We have termly exchanges of stock from the West Sussex Library Service for brand new books and the children choose new books for classrooms from the visiting mobile library van.

On completion of the Read Write Inc programme in KS1, the children participate in whole class Guided Reading sessions. In these sessions, children enjoy a range of stories, poems and non-fiction, often linked to topic areas. The books are used to teach specific reading skills and enable the children to develop language and ideas for their own writing. In addition to this, teachers regularly read to children just for pleasure and enjoyment to engender a love of reading. The school’s overall objective is for each child to become a fluent and confident reader. 

We highly value the role of parents/carers in their child’s learning and there is an expectation that children in EYFS and KS1 read with their parents/carers at least three times per week; we believe this plays a major part in children’s learning and appreciation of books.

At Glebe we encourage all our pupils to read for pleasure at school and at home. We offer an array of enrichment activities to provide exciting, stimulating experiences that enhance our curriculum and children's individual learning. Each year group study an inspirational author, illustrator or poet each half term to build children’s knowledge of genres and styles. They get the opportunity to listen to books being read aloud in our daily ‘Love of Books’ time as well as sharing book recommendations with others in our classroom displays. We have been lucky enough to have been visited by several popular authors who have sparked the imagination of our young readers and writers – many of which purchased their own signed copies of the books. 

DAVID FULLER, popular author of the Alfie Jones series came to visit Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. He did two great assemblies and told the children all about the inspiration behind his books and what got him into writing. The children enjoyed learning about his different books and listening to some stories!

SLS Celebration of Reading- June 2023

During the month of June, we took part in the West Sussex SLS Celebration of Reading. The children at Glebe had the opportunity to take part in some zoom calls with the well-known authors- Neal Zetter, Sabine Adeyinka, Paddy Donnelly and Chrissie Sains. The children had a great time learning about what inspired the authors’ stories!

Here is a little bit about the authors we met:

Meet the Poet: Neal Zetter

Neal Zetter is a comedy performance poet from London. He has published a range of poetry collections aimed at KS1 & KS2, including 'The Universal Zoo' and 'Scared?' 

Meet the Author: Sabine Adeyinka

Author of the popular debut novel, 'Jummy and the River School' and sequel, 'Time to Shine at the River School.' This boarding school series set in Nigeria would be perfect for readers in Upper KS2 who enjoy adventure stories.

Meet the Author & Illustrator: Paddy Donnelly

Acclaimed author and illustrator, Paddy Donnelly talked to us about his newly published picture book, 'Fox and Sons Tailors' and demonstrated his illustrating skills. His books are suitable for KS1 and KS2 readers.

Meet the Author: Chrissie Sains

Chrissie Sains is the author of the hilarious 'Jam Factory' series suitable for children aged 6+. We enjoyed hearing all about her stories.