At Coleby C.E. Primary School, we place reading at the heart of our curriculum. Our aim is to provide our children with the opportunities to become fluent and confident lifelong readers who see the purpose in reading and value reading as the key to success. Our aspiration for each of our children is based upon the need for them to enter the world of work as articulate and literate individuals with a strong love of reading. We strive to give pupils a stimulating environment, where reading materials are at the heart of our learning and presented in an attractive and inviting way.

Fred Fingers

Fred Fingers are used for spelling. Your child is taught to sound out the word they are spelling and put up the correct number of fingers for the sounds they can hear in the word. For example: m-e-t = 3 sounds = 3 fingers. 

Green Words

When your child can orally blend sounds to say words, your child will start to read ‘green’ words. ‘Green’ words are words which can be sounded out and blended.

Red Words

When children start to read short ditties, your child will be taught to read ‘red’ words. These words are words with ‘tricky letters’ which can’t be sounded out phonetically.  Your child will be taught the red words in a specific order, which will correlate with the books they are reading in lessons.

Decodable Reading Books

Whilst your child is learning their initial sounds in Reception, they will bring home a story to share with you from our library in their book bag, which will be changed each week. This will give them the opportunity to develop a range of important reading skills. Once your child can blend the sounds they know to read words, they will bring home a Read Write Inc. book bag book which will contain words and sounds that children have been taught. They will also have their own Oxford Owl account, giving them access to the phonics book they have been reading in school. Children should practise reading these books regularly throughout the week so that they can read them confidently, fluently and independently.

Reading for Pleasure

At Coleby Church of England Primary our aim is to empower every child with a love of reading!  We know that children who develop an early love of reading, will continue to read throughout their lives and we therefore have protected time  in our classes each day for children to enjoy being read to by an adult.  During our daily story times, a range of stories are shared from a variety of different authors.