The Edith Borthwick School

Reading at The Edith Borthwick School

At The Edith Borthwick School, we are dedicated to fostering the development of reading skills of every learner by providing a literacy experience tailored to their individual developmental needs. Our curriculum pathways are designed to support the development of reading skills at appropriate levels, ensuring that each learner can access reading at the highest level possible.

We aim to enable learners to develop transferable skills that support daily life and promote independence in adulthood.

We recognise the invaluable role of both pre-reading and reading skills in enhancing communication, expanding vocabulary, and increasing access to the world.

We acknowledge that many of our learners may remain at a pre-reading level and that not all will learn to read through phonics or whole-word recognition. For our learners, reading and print can take various forms, including stimuli, objects, photographs, symbols, and pictures, all of which carry meaning.

To meet the diverse needs of our learners, we employ a range of strategies to teach reading and pre-reading skills, ensuring a comprehensive and inclusive approach to literacy development.

Pre-reading

A range of strategies will be used to support the development of pre-reading skills, tailored to match the individual developmental needs of learners. These skills may be developed through structured learning opportunities or through exposure within the learning environment.

The strategies include:

Multi-sensory experiences

Learners at an early engagement level may not independently engage with books. To support these learners, we focus on developing early engagement skills, including attention and motivation. Multi-sensory approaches and cause-and-effect activities are used to engage learners, allowing them to access stories and narratives through sensory-based activities. Repetition of stories and activities over time is crucial for learners to begin anticipating, responding consistently to stimuli, and showing enjoyment. Stimuli such as smells, sounds, facial expressions, and objects are introduced, often related to specific topics, to carry meaning for learners.

Shared reading experiences

Learners are exposed to shared reading experiences through various activities. These experiences help learners encounter new vocabulary, become familiar with stories, and develop a preference for reading materials. Shared reading also supports motivation, engagement, and enjoyment. Listening to stories introduces learners to words they might not hear every day and helps them develop an awareness of sentence structure.

Fostering a love for reading

We expose learners to a range of print types and provide access to diverse reading experiences to foster a love for reading, curiosity, and wonder about the world. Learners may have access to designated reading areas within the classroom or sessions in the school library.

Language and communication skills

Communication is key and forms part of our priority curriculum. Introducing learners to a wide range of words increases their vocabulary and understanding of the world. Developing communication skills, language, and vocabulary supports learners in accessing and enjoying reading experiences and begin relating print and stories to their own experiences. Language comprehension is essential for learners to understand what they read, and supporting their knowledge of language can create fluent, passionate, and lifelong readers.

Access to a print rich reading environment

We use a total communication approach, displaying print within the classroom and the wider school. This exposure to various print types helps learners increase their vocabulary and understanding of the purpose and meaning of words and print in both the school and local community. Learners are encouraged to notice and engage with signs, symbols, notices, numbers, and pictures that match their developmental level and understanding.

Listening and attention skills

Developing listening skills is a vital pre-reading skill. Learners are encouraged to focus on tuning into sounds, remembering sounds, and gradually naming them. Before learners can recognise, say, and remember letter-sound correspondences and blend them, they need to closely observe and remember what they see, hear, and say. Learners also need to make sounds and match them to objects, people, or patterns.

Experience of rhyme, rhythm and alliteration

Providing learners with opportunities to hear sounds through songs, poems, and stories supports their ability to isolate sounds and develop phonological awareness.

Pre-reading activities include:

Strategy	Example activities
Shared reading experiences	Songs Rhymes Story time Drama games Access to class reading areas and school library
Language and communication skills	Assisted language displays PODD Communication books Topic based activities School wide: Word of the week Total communication approach Visuals Makaton Intensive interaction
Access to a print rich reading environment	Words Symbols Photos Objects Word of the week Signs Local community signs
Multi-sensory experiences	Sensory stories Bag books Story sacks Story massage Cause and effect TAC PAC Sensology
Experience of rhyme, rhythm and alliteration	Songs Poems Stories Music sessions
Fostering a love of reading	Designated reading areas in class Access to books in choosing time School library sessions Access to comics and magazines Story telling sessions
Listening and attention skills	Attention bucket Intensive interaction Cause and effect activities Audio cues Sound games Listening games Songs Rhymes Exploration of instruments

Phonics

At The Edith Borthwick School, we teach phonics through the Read Write Inc programme, a DfE-validated, bespoke Systematic Synthetic Phonics programme. This programme promotes speaking and listening skills, phonological awareness, and oral blending skills. It teaches children the sounds in English, the letters that represent them, and how to form letters when writing. Learners have access to ebooks through Oxford Owl online, which are written using only the letters that have been learned at each level.

Key Features of Our Phonics Programme

Adaptations for Learners: We make adaptations to the programme to ensure it is tailored to the needs of our learners.
Introduction Timing: The Read Write Inc phonics programme is introduced when learners have developed the communication and language skills required to engage with it, typically when they are no longer being assessed by the Engagement Model.
Assessment and Grouping: We use the RWI assessments to group learners and measure progress.
Trained Staff: To ensure consistency, the programme is delivered only by staff who have received relevant training.

For more information about how we use the Read Write Inc programme to support the delivery of phonics, please feel free to ask. Further information about the programme can also be found at: https://www.ruthmiskin.com/programmes/phonics/about-read-write-inc-phonics/.

Reading at Edith Borthwick