At Newburgh C.E. School we recognise that language is a key building block in child development and we aim to equip each and every child with the literacy skills they need. This will allow them to enjoy reading for knowledge as well as pleasure and enjoyment, and to write with a sense of purpose and audience. We also encourage our children to express themselves effectively and to listen and learn from each other.
All classes have access to our library as well as their own inviting book areas in class. Whole class and guided reading takes place on a regular basis. These sessions include a mixture of teacher led work, follow-up activities, phonics work, independent reading and some time to simply read for pleasure.
Parents of children in our Nursery and Reception are invited to take part in a workshop to learn about how we teach phonics in order for them to support their child at home with their reading. Reading with your child every day hugely improves their reading success and this is something we actively encourage at Newburgh.
Each March we take part in World Book Day celebrations, we also have a variety of fun reading challenges (class diaries and teddies).
Through daily lessons, children learn the essentials of English language such as phonics, spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence construction, together with the skills to help shape and organise texts. However, English is not always taught as a discrete lesson, but as part of our creative approach to learning. In this way, learning is fun, memorable and purposeful. Through termly topics children are immersed in a range of fiction and non-fiction texts.
At Newburgh, children are taught to listen well, speak clearly, read enthusiastically and write effectively for a wide range of purposes and audiences. Children are supported and encouraged as they learn to express themselves creatively and imaginatively on their way to becoming enthusiastic and independent learners. A variety of reading schemes are used in school to provide early readers with phonetically decodable books to start them on their reading journey. The main schemes are Oxford University Press, Oxford Reading Tree, Songbirds, Floppy's Phonics and Rigby Star. Phonics is delivered through the 'Letters and Sounds' scheme in Nursery and continues with Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) phonics scheme from Reception.
The children are engaged in language development through drama and role play opportunities throughout the year. All children are involved in performances involving speaking and acting to an audience ranging from the EYFS & Key Stage 1 Nativities and reading in church to our key stage productions.
Statutory Framework for the early years foundation stage
National Curriculum English Programmes of Study: Key Stages 1 and 2
Children in Years R-2 have a subscription to Reading Eggs and Fast Phonics, an online resource to support the teaching of reading. Please see the Reading Eggs Parent Guide for more information.
Parents' Reading Workshop
On Tuesday 12th September we held our annual Reading Workshop for parents of children in the Early Years (Reception and Nursery). This workshop provides information for parents about how reading is taught using phonics and how they can support their children at home to develop the skills needed to become a fluent reader.
Examples of the resources used in Early Years to support literacy:
Poetry
We recently had the pleasure of inviting David Bowden (Word Guerilla) into school. He worked with Years 3 and 4 to explore poetry about RESPECT. The children went on to create some amazing poems about respect for ourselves, each other and the world. A selection of children performed their poems to an audience of over 100 people.
In Year 2 we have been taking notes on different animals and then creating our own poems. Take a look!
Ron Mills Reading Room
We were honoured to rename the Library to Ron Mills Reading Room in appreciation and recognition of the service that Ron has provided to our school as a reading volunteer over many years.
Reading Lists
Here are recommended books for each year group:
Please also see the following links for recommended reading for children:
Staff Reading
Our School Council have been quizzing members of staff and the Governing Body about their reading choices.
Mr Dilworth - Year 5 & 6 Teacher
What genre of book do you enjoy the most?
My most favourite reads are fantasy books.
Who is your favourite author?
I enjoy books by JRR Tolkien.
How often do you read?
I read every single day.
Do you think you should read more?
Yes.
Do you think that you read enough books?
No.
What is your favourite children's book/author?
Julia Donaldson and 'Tiddler'.
What books do you read at home?
Children's books!
Questions by Scarlet & Danny
Chrissy Quirk - School Bursar
What genre of books do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy all books.
Who is your favourite author?
My favourite author is Lewis Carroll.
How often do you read?
I read every single day.
Do you think you should read more?
Yes.
Do you think that you read enough books?
Yes.
What is your favourite children's book/author?
'Alice Through the Looking Glass' by my favourite author Lewis Carroll.
What books do you read at home?
Thriller, Crime and History books.
Questions by Olivia and Jack.
Mrs Kenyon - Teaching Assistant
What genre of book do you enjoy the most?
I like to read romantic stories.
Who is your favourite author?
I like books by Sarah Morgan.
How often do you read?
I read every day.
Do you think you should read more?
No.
Do you think that you read enough books?
Yes.
What is your favourite children's book/author?
I like Enid Blyton and Neil Gaimon.
What books do you read at home?
I read suspense and romance books.
Questions by Dixie and Rory.
Mrs Ambrose - Chair of Governors
What genre of book do you enjoy the most?
I like to read memoirs (my favourite is Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee). I also like mysteries. I recently read 'Where the Crawdads Sing' by Delia Owen. It has been made into a film and I always find it interesting to watch films based on books I have read. I usually think that the book was better.
Who is your favourite author?
That's a difficult question. I like Ernest Hemingway because he doesn't use many words but manages to be very descriptive at the same time. Andrea Camilleri is probably the author I have read most because he wrote a series of books set in Sicily and I enjoy reading about other countries.
How often do you read?
I read every day, usually at bedtime so sometimes I only manage a few pages before I fall asleep.
Do you think you should read more?
I would love to read more but sometimes it's hard to find enough time. When I'm on holiday and can sit in the sunshine and read a whole book, it's a real treat. Other good opportunities to read are at the hairdressers, on a train or waiting for an appointment. I usually have my Kindle with me just in case.
Do you think that you read enough books?
You can never read enough books. When we were in lockdown because of the Covid pandemic, I read lots of books. I set up a book club with some friends and we enjoyed taking it in turns to choose books and discuss them. It meant that we read books that we wouldn't normally have chosen ourselves. I had to read some quite scary ones which is something I'm not keen on but it was very brave! We also had some interesting discussions about the best way to choose a book.
What is your favourite children's book/author?
I think that Julia Donaldson's books are fantastic. The Gruffalo is a classic and I have read it so many times, I think I can probably still recite most of it from memory. For older children 'Wonder' by PJ Palacio is a great book.
What books do you read at home?
I read fiction books for pleasure and to relax. I also like to read travel and cookery books and enjoy using them to plan trips and to discover new meals to cook. I'm currently reading a book about how to play better tennis but I'm not sure it's working.