Reading
At Burlington Junior School, we aim to provide a stimulating reading environment which enables every child to become an enthusiastic, independent and confident reader by the end of Key Stage Two.
Learning to read is a fundamental part of any child's education as these skills allow them to access all areas of their learning and prepare them for the next stage in their life. Reading is an integral part of everything we do at Burlington Junior School, with children being taught the skills they need to decode (read words on the page) as well as developing their comprehension (understanding what a piece of writing means).
Developing Reading Fluency
Phonics at Burlington Junior School
Any child who does not meet the phonics expectations at the end of Year 2 are identified and are identified when they join our school. They are then taught in small groups or on a 1:1 basis following the Read, Write, Inc. phonics scheme. Children are assessed every half term to check on their progress.
Throughout Key Stage Two, children continue to make use of their phonic skills to enable them to decode and blend sounds in unfamiliar or tricky words.
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Our Reading Scheme
Once children have met expectations in phonics, they move on to the Collins Big Cat colour coded reading books. These books allow children to read a book at an appropriate level before becoming free readers. Children who are free readers are allowed to make their own choice of books.
Reading for Pleasure
Class Readers at Burlington Junior School
Alongside high quality texts used in our English lessons, all classes will have a carefully selected class reader. During dedicated story time, our teachers aim to choose books that inspire and engage our pupils as well as reflecting the wide variety of cultures found in our school.
Finding a Book to Read
Children are able to borrow both fiction, poetry and non-fiction books from our school library and their classroom book corners. All children get the chance to visit the school library every week, and are able to borrow one book at a time.
Our School Library
"I love all of the places you can read at Burlington. Within the library, there are so many genres to choose from and books that can help me learn more about the topics I'm interested in. The books we get to read alongside our literacy work have helped me learn useful vocabulary for my own writing. This year, I have learnt phrases that I want to use within my written work in Year 6."
Year 6 Pupil
Book Bingo
Pupils in all year groups are encouraged to participate in our Book Bingo challenge. This challenge enables pupils to read a variety of texts by a variety of authors.
Hearing Your Child Read
We encourage all our children to read aloud to an adult or older sibling on a daily basis if possible. This helps children practise reading to an audience and helps them to become fluent and confident readers. Discussing what your child is reading will help to develop their understanding. See the 'Hearing Your Child Read' document at the bottom of this page for more information. You could also look at the list of questions to use when hearing your child read which can be found at the back of the school reading diary.
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