Reading
“The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
“Being a reader is one of the most important skills children can possess.” Research shows that reading for pleasure significantly improves both academic outcomes and well-being. We view reading as a lifelong skill and a gateway to learning, imagination, and personal growth.
Progression of Reading
Children begin their reading journey with high-quality phonics through the Read Write Inc. programme. Once they complete this, they move on to Whole Class Shared Reading, which focuses on comprehension and fluency. In Year 2 and across KS2, Whole Class Shared Reading is used to explicitly teach reading strategies and deepen understanding.
Shared Reading follows a structured sequence:
- Vocabulary: Learning to decode and understand new words.
- Fluency: Practising echo reading, partner reading, and independent reading.
- Skills: Developing comprehension through targeted reading strategies such as explanation, inference, prediction, retrieval, summarising, and sequencing.
Reading materials are organised into fiction, non-fiction, and poetry blocks to align with our writing curriculum and expose children to a range of genres.
Fostering a Love of Reading
We promote reading for pleasure through:
- Enticing book areas and regular book events.
- Access to high-quality fiction, non-fiction, and magazines.
- Informal ‘Book Talk’ sessions in the library.
- Carefully selected Class Readers from the 50 Recommended Reads for each year group.
- Peer recommendations via the class ‘Shout Out’ board.
These initiatives help children see reading as enjoyable and meaningful, not just a school task.
Accelerated Reader Programme
From Year 2 to Year 6, we use Accelerated Reader to ensure children read books matched to their decoding and comprehension levels. Each half term, children take a STAR test to determine their reading level. They then select a book, read it, and may choose to complete an online quiz. This process helps track progress and motivates children to meet personal reading targets.
With over 31,000 books available for quizzing, children can choose titles from home, the library, or school stock. Teachers use quiz data to guide reading conversations and support children in selecting books that suit their interests and abilities.
Parents can use the Accelerated Reader Bookfinder tool to check the reading level of books at home or in the library, ensuring children read at an appropriate level for success.
Home Learning
We encourage daily reading at home with an adult or older sibling. Children in Reception to Year 3 use reading diaries to record their journey and reflect on their progress. In addition, each child can choose a library book to share at home with an adult – a high-quality children’s book for parents to read aloud. This nurtures a love of storytelling and supports vocabulary development in a relaxed, enjoyable setting.