Reading and Communication

At St Christopher’s school we believe the skills of communication and reading are critical for all pupils to ensure that they can access the entire curriculum and is necessary, so pupils are able to successfully access the community in a safe and functional way.

Every element of a pupil’s day ensures that communication, interaction, and language acquisition is consolidated through effective adult modelling, targeted and incidental learning opportunities. This is from the moment they are greeted at school, through lessons, breaks and lunch and their goodbye at the end of the day. 

A total communication approach across the school allows all pupils to develop their expression and expressive language through their preferred communication system.

We feel that communication and reading should always be an enjoyable, shared experience where children develop a love of books, stories as well as other reading resources around them such as magazines, age-appropriate papers, maps, and travel leaflets such as bus and train timetables. 

Communication and reading are one of the most important skills that a young person can have. It opens a world of possibilities and allows for both our verbal and non-verbal students to learn new things. Reading exposes them to new ideas and different ways of thinking. This helps the students to critically evaluate information and make better decisions both inside and outside of the classroom.

High quality modelling of communication and interaction

Pupils throughout the school learn phonics at all stages through the Read Write Inc. scheme of learning.

Curriculum progression with flight paths from EYFS through to post 16

Purposeful curriculum pathways that meet the students starting points with a range of different experiences each year to consolidate and develop key skills.

Access to appropriate class and whole school resources that develop communication and reading.

A well-resourced school library with books that match the students decoding levels as well as picture books and a wide range of books of interest.

The love of reading is developed through appropriate access to listening to stories this can include sensory stories, story sacs, story time, audio books, guided reading, listening to individuals read as well as whole class reading of text.

Appropriate scaffolding resources that support students practice of key skills e.g., sound/word mats.

We know that many of our parents/carers are keen to support their children with reading. Our aim is to install and nurture ‘Pleasure for Reading’ for all our children. Students are encouraged to take home a library book especially chosen by the student; this book is to give an opportunity to share and communicate through the book with their adults at home. Whether it is talking about or enjoying the pictures, having the book read to them by an adult or taking turns in reading, the main aim is enjoyment. Alongside their love of reading book, for our readers, each student is given a school reading book to use in the school and at home. These are grading according to the phonics level the student is working at, allowing for progression and to ensure our readers become more confident and proficient at reading. Once fluent, the student can choose their own reading book and they are encouraged to widen their choices through different genres and authors. 

It is our aspiration at St Christopher’s that all our learners make sufficient progress appropriate to their level and develop a love of reading/stories. Through the teaching of synthetic phonics our learners will become confident readers and unlock a love of reading, whether this is through sharing picture books and sensory stories right up to enjoying a variety of genre such as graphic novels or short stories. We aim for many of our students to move into the functional world with the reading and communication skills to enable them to be as independent as they possibly can.