Phonics and Reading

Why Reading Matters

At Stanley School, we know how important reading is for our children. It's a vital tool that helps them access their learning and, more importantly, understand the world around them. Throughout their lives, they'll be surrounded by words and print, and we want to give them the skills to make sense of it all. We focus on teaching practical reading skills like recognising familiar signs and logos, reading important words, and finding information they need.

We want our children to love reading through lots of different experiences. Reading lets us explore things we might never do in real life. Whether they are listening to a story, taking part in a sensory story with objects and sounds, or looking at books on their own, we want them to discover the joy that books and stories can bring.

How We Support our children

We understand that our pupils have learning needs that can affect how they learn to read. That's why we use specially chosen activities and teaching methods that work for their individual needs and abilities. We help pupils make the best progress possible by using lots of repetition and hands-on, multisensory activities that help new skills really stick.

We teach phonics and early reading skills throughout the school day, starting from where your child is at. Reading and phonics are taught in ways that suit our children, and everything links to their EHC plan. We personalise our teaching to match our children's learning style and stage of development.

The books and stories we use are carefully chosen to match what our children are interested in and what they need to learn. Teachers plan lessons that help overcome any barriers, so our children can enjoy lots of meaningful reading experiences.

Reading for Everyday Life

We teach language and understanding skills at every level and across all our lessons. Our children will learn both everyday reading skills – like reading menus and messages – as well as deeper skills like understanding stories and thinking about what they've read.

We know that reading isn't just about books – it's about being able to access everyday life. They will learn to:

• Recognise familiar signs, logos and symbols they see every day
• Read important words that help them be more independent
• Use reading to find information and make choices
• Use tablets, computers and apps

Find Out More

Explore the following pages to learn more about how we teach reading and phonics at Stanley School:

• Our Phonics Programme - How we use Bug Club Phonics and multisensory approaches to develop early reading skills across all phases, from Phase 1 environmental sounds through to advanced phonics
• Reading Across Our Pathways - How we tailor reading for pupils in our Pre-Formal, Informal, Semi-Formal and Formal pathways, with personalised approaches for every learner
• Developing Visual and Auditory Skills - How we support pupils to develop the essential pre-reading skills through our Positive Looking programme and auditory discrimination activities
• Functional Reading for Independence - How we teach practical reading skills for everyday life, from recognising logos and signs to reading menus and instructions