Reading

At Hayfield Lane, we consider reading to be an essential skill that will be a huge factor in ensuring success later in life. This is why we place a large focus on helping our children master this skill and become confident readers. There are many components involved in developing their reading skills and due to this, we employ a wide variety of strategies, methods and programs to reach all pupils. One of the main methods of delivery that we employ is via an exciting topic-based curriculum. This topic-based curriculum has been meticulously planned to support the children in learning the expected targets whilst addressing any gaps in their learning.  Below, you can read about some of the strategies and programs that we use to support the pupils at our school. 

Story Time

Sparking a passion for reading from a young age is so important for a child's development, and it's fun!

Children instinctively love books and stories as they are introduced to wonderful ideas, places, and creatures they haven't before encountered.  

Storytelling provides children with a window to new worlds. It gives them the opportunity to learn new ideas and information; without realising it, they are learning valuable life lessons through hearing an engaging, exciting story.
 

Read Write Inc Phonics at Hayfield Lane Primary

At Hayfield Lane Primary we use the Read Write Inc (RWI) programme to get children off to a flying start with their English. RWI is a method of learning centred round letter sounds and phonics, and we use it to aid children in their reading and writing.

Reading opens the door to learning. A child who reads a lot will become a good reader. A good reader will be able to read more challenging material. A child who reads challenging material is a child who will learn. The more a child learns, the more he or she will want to find out.

Using RWI, the children learn to read effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into comprehending what they read. It also allows them to spell effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into composing what they write.

When using RWI to read the children will:

• learn that sounds are represented by written letters
• learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts
• learn how to blend sounds
• learn to read words using Fred Talk
• read lively stories featuring words they have learned to sound out
• show that they comprehend the stories by answering questions

When using RWI to write the children will:

• learn to write the letters/letter groups which represent 44 sounds
• learn to write words by saying the sounds in Fred Talk
• write simple sentences

So that you are able to support your child's learning at home, please take some time to explore the links below to see videos and examples of how RWI is taught.

Our Read Write Inc Lead Teacher in school is Mrs Middlebrook.  If you have any queries or would like to discuss our phonics programme further, please do not hesitate to contact her.

Reading Passports

'Reading for Pleasure involves choosing to make such meaning regularly in one’s own time, which often triggers sustained engagement and has multiple benefits.' (Developing Reading for Pleasure: engaging young readers, Open University 2022)

To ensure that our families have a rich selection of books to share and enjoy, we have created four Hayfield Lane Reading Passports for them to use throughout their time at the school. Within each passport, there are a wealth of texts that promote the joy of reading. We believe that these specially chosen books celebrate the diversity, morals, characters, hopes and dreams of our community and so much more. We have classic texts that parents may wish to revisit with their children, as well as modern ones that help to broaden our understanding of particular subjects. Alongside that, there are stories that make us laugh, make us feel special and that offer insight as well as inspiration. Within the 40 texts in each passport, there are a variety of poetry books, non-fiction books and fiction ones so that whatever your interest, there is a wealth of material for you to enjoy.

Our hope is that families will sit together and create memories as they share the different texts, visit imaginary worlds  and meet unforgettable characters. By nurturing this love of reading, we want everyone to recognise the benefits of opening a text. Not only does reading open up opportunities; it also opens up minds to new ideas and promotes an inquisitive nature. 

As a novel study school, we are always wanting to foster this inquisitive aspect of reading and that is why many of the novels that we use within school are in the passports. We want to give parents the opportunity to explore the same texts with their children and to also read other books by the same author so that they can compare themes and ask questions.

If you are ever unsure of the next text to choose with your child, then please listen to our podcast episodes as each one has recommended texts taken from the passports.

Royal Society Young People's Book Prize 2022

We were delighted to have been selected by the Royal Society to be judges for this fabulous prize that promotes science and STEM subjects through reading. This year, the books were absolutely outstanding as they celebrated all areas of science with themes that informed, excited and amazed us. In the first three texts, we learnt about extraordinary women who helped to further scientific knowledge and understanding, we found out about what happened to the wolves in Yellowstone Park and how they had to be reintroduced as well as the importance of microbes in the book Microbe Wars that took us through the history of these tiny organisms. The final three texts were also illuminating. We were taught about the impact of climate change on the planet and how scientists are coming up with inventive solutions to help. We also found out what a global village of 100 people would look like based on the eight billion inhabitants of our planet. Finally, we discovered how some of the greatest structures in the world were built. This last text, 'How was That Built?' was our favourite because it combined wonderful details with extraordinary images. The competition was incredibly close but this just won overall. Thank you to the Royal Society because it was a fantastic experience.