At Banstead Infant School we value the teaching of reading very highly; learning to read is one of the keys to independence in learning. Children who read for enjoyment every day develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures. We believe the most important factors in learning to read are: enjoyment, understanding, confidence, independence and fluency. We aim to promote a lifelong love of reading. In order to do this, children are encouraged to read a wide variety of genres during their time here. They have access to reading materials through a well-resourced library as well as books in class and books at home which all provide a reading rich environment. Our children will be both independent and reflective readers who can read fluently and for meaning. Children use a variety of reading skills from early synthetic phonics to decoding and skimming to enable them to access all other areas of learning. As children’s reading develops at different rates, teaching is tailored to each child. Children read daily in the classroom either though group reading, individual reading or shared reading.  Children are encouraged to read a range of books in school and at home and communication between staff and parents is encouraged.

We place a strong emphasis on the use of phonics as an early reading skill. At Banstead Infant School we use the ‘Jolly Phonics’ scheme and ‘Letters and Sounds’ guidance to teach phonics. All children have sound books and which are used alongside reading books when the children read at school.