INTENT

The intent of our school’s reading curriculum is to create a positive reading culture that engages all pupils, regardless of their starting points, backgrounds, or abilities.

Our primary goals are as follows:

1. Promote a Love for Reading: We want to ignite a passion for reading by exposing students to a wide range of high-quality and diverse texts that align with their interests and experiences.
2. Develop Advanced Reading Skills: We aim to teach students strategies that will enhance their comprehension, critical thinking, and fluency skills, enabling them to become independent readers.
3. Support Language Development: We will focus on expanding pupils’ vocabulary, improving their spoken language skills, and nurturing their ability to communicate effectively through reading.

IMPLEMENTATION

We ensure we have a rich and diverse selection of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and digital texts covering a range of themes, cultures, and genres.  We regularly update the school library with up-to-date reading materials that reflect the interests and backgrounds of our pupils.

We deliver high-quality reading lessons using a systematic phonics approach to develop early reading and decoding skills (see Phonics section of the website for more information).

We employ a wide range of teaching strategies, such as shared reading, guided reading, and reciprocal reading, to cater to the needs of all learners.  Teachers use effective questioning techniques to challenge pupils’ understanding and encourage deeper thinking about the texts they read.  In addition, we provide opportunities for independent reading and silent sustained reading to allow students to apply their skills and develop a reading habit.

We aim to foster a positive reading environment by incorporating regular dedicated reading times within the school day.  We organize author visits, book clubs, and reading competitions to motivate and engage pupils.

We also recognise parents as partners in their child’s reading journey.  We encourage parents and guardians to support reading at home through regular reading logs and family reading activities.

We regularly integrate reading into other subject areas, ensuring students have opportunities to apply their reading skills across the curriculum.  We provide access to a wide range of subject-specific reading materials to enhance their understanding of different topics.

We  use ‘Accelerated Reader’ to encourage children to read a broad range of texts before moving ‘up’. Children log their progress on their own online profile and take comprehension quizzes about each book that they read.

Younger children have access to a range of phonics-based books. Our books are colour-banded to allow us to ensure all children are reading phonically-decodable books and enable us to monitor progress.

IMPACT

We monitor pupil progress through regular assessments to ensure that all students are making expected progress in reading and that any gaps in attainment are identified and addressed promptly.  We analyze reading data and use it to inform teaching and intervention strategies.

Teachers plan differentiated activities and provide targeted support to ensure that all pupils are appropriately challenged and supported in their reading journey.  Individual learning needs are identified and addressed using formative assessment strategies to track progress continuously.

Intervention programs are introduced for pupils who need additional support and tailored to meet their specific needs.

We also celebrate and share pupils’ achievements in reading to foster a culture of success.

To encourage a love of reading, we conduct regular surveys and focus groups with pupils to gauge their attitudes towards reading, ensuring that a love for reading is fostered and maintained.  We also encourage pupils to share their reading experiences through book reviews, recommendations, and discussions.

We will identify and address individual learning needs using formative assessment strategies to track progress continuously.