English, Phonics & Reading at Parkhill Infants' School 
Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.
- Charles Scribner Jnr
Once you learn to read, you will be forever free-
- Frederic Douglas
ENGLISH GALLERY
'Reading together makes a difference!'
At Parkhill Infants' School, we recognise that literacy is an essential life skill. We place reading at the heart of our curriculum. Success in English enables children to be articulate at school, at home and in their wider community, leading to improved life opportunities.
Our VISION FOR ENGLISH
At Parkhill Infants’ School,
We believe that:
- Every child can learn to read.
- Reading and listening to stories are the adventures that we embark on every day.
We strive to achieve that:
- Children can have access to a range of literature which ignites their imagination, and allows them to explore new ideas, different times and different places.
- We can foster a love of reading for pleasure.
How do we make this happen?
- We ensure that our curriculum is ambitious, inspirational and personalised to the needs of our children and our community.
- We follow a systematic and progressive approach to teaching phonics using the Read Write Inc. Programme to help teach children to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension.
- We develop a culture filled with rich vocabulary and ensure that story time is an important part of our school routine.
Section 1 - Phonics
Section 2 - Oracy, Reading and Writing
Section 3 - How you can help at home
Every child must be free to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously.
- Article 12, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Every child must be free to express their thoughts and opinions and to access all kinds of information, as long as it is within the law.
- Article 13, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Education must develop each child's personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child's respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment.
- Article 29, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
The children have a wide variety of books to choose from in our library for free reading, and each year group will also study different books and base cross-curricular work upon them. Our What We're Reading page gives up to date information on the books that the children are enjoying, and contains links to PDF or read-along versions so that you can explore them at home with your child.
We hold regular 'Reading Together' events where we encourage parents to enjoy some screen-free time with their children, reading a favourite book together. These have been very popular and we have received some lovely photos of families enjoying their reading!
