Reading - Reading begins with any decoding and interpretation of visual information including pictures and symbols and goes on to ascribe meaning to the abstract marks of letters and words. The sharing of books is also a wonderful social process that develops reading as a social interaction as well as functional communication. All pupils have an individual reading book and this can be sent home with them each day at parent request. These come from a reading scheme some of which is bespoke to individual pupils, for example, we may start with tactile reading books or PECS reading books. Early level reading packs may incorporate learning to read high frequency words and phonemes alongside the book work dependent upon individual pupil need. Pupils in the conceptual department may also access guided reading sessions although this is often not appropriate until they are working at a level of C9c or above. Reading, and general decoding of visual information, for meaning is core to optimising progress in reading and therefore explicit teaching of the use of semantic and grammatic skills is incorportated into our approach. Extensive use of Colourful Semantics supports this process and learning the importance of sequencing different categories of information. Pupils work on schemes such as Letters and Sounds to optimise their understanding of phonic knowledge. Shared reading sessions and sensory stories give pupils the opportunity to access age appropriate texts.
The Love of Reading - Pupils also have access to the school library where we promote the sharing of motivating books, magazines and ebooks. Cromwell has had to make many of these resources itself and designed them to meet the interest levels and needs of the pupils so that they can access them independently and want to read or explore them. As part of their topic work in FE pupils are starting to look after their own library, make resources for it, organising it and tidying it.