Reading for Pleasure

Despite all the innovations and approaches to teaching reading that have been adopted in England since the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy in 1998 a continuing concern is the extent to which pupils read for pleasure. According to two major Ofsted reports (2004 & 2012 and three Progress in International Reading Literacy Studies (PIRLS, 2003, 2007, 2012) pupils in England have a poorer attitude towards reading and read less often for fun than similar pupils in other countries and England is one of the countries with the widest span of attainments, a characteristic that is usually associated with overall low reading scores.

Optima is unique in combining the teaching of synthetic phonics and phonically irregular high-frequency words using real books. By aligning those books with the phonic system, the programme encourages children to read and share their favourite stories, written by some of the most loved children’s authors, so that reading is always pleasurable while at the same time offering appropriate opportunities for them to apply their synthetic phonics skills to a wide range of texts.