Reading
Intent
At West Bretton, reading lies at the heart of our curriculum. We aim to teach children to have the desire to love reading and want to read, as well as teaching them the skills of how to read and comprehend. We know every child can be a reader.
We believe that reading is a skill that enables children to develop their learning across the wider curriculum and lays the foundations for success in future lines of education and employment. We encourage all children to explore a wide range of texts across fiction and non-fiction to further their knowledge of themselves and the world around them; we use high quality texts to promote acceptance and diversity in today’s modern society.
At the core of our strategy is our whole school intention to harbour a love of reading, enriching children’s learning through daily storytime in all classes. We carefully design teaching activities that utilise imaginative stories and use thought-provoking texts that are changed and adapted for each cohort.
Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are – it takes us into different worlds and gives us opportunities to explore different cultures and lives.
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." Nelson Mandela
Implementation
Speaking and listening
Throughout school, children develop speaking and listening skills in a range of contexts including an emphasis on talk throughout the curriculum, role play, reading aloud and discussion skills. In order to develop the children’s confidence, clarity and awareness of audience, we ensure that the children are given many opportunities to participate in presentations and performances.
The use of Standard English is encouraged at all times and from as early as Foundation Stage, we recognise the importance of developing a rich and extensive bank of vocabulary; therefore, we introduce, teach and discuss vocabulary directly linked to books and topics. This is reinforced by all staff and we aim to ensure new and exciting vocabulary is embedded.
Reading
Reading is taught through a carefully structured approach that begins with the systematic teaching of phonics using the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme. We are passionate about the Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics program, which forms a cornerstone of our early reading curriculum. We believe that phonics is the key to unlocking the world of reading, and through the Ruth Miskin inspired program, we ensure that all children, regardless of their starting point, develop strong phonetic skills. This program provides a systematic approach to teaching the relationships between letters and sounds, enabling children to decode words, improve their fluency, and build their confidence as early readers. For more information about this scheme, please see the link below:
https://www.ruthmiskin.com/phonics/about-read-write-inc-phonics/
This daily provision in Class 1 and Year 1 builds strong foundations in decoding, blending, and segmenting. For pupils requiring additional support, targeted RWI interventions continue into Year 2 and beyond, ensuring no child is left behind. We really are committed to developing these foundational skills linked to a love of early reading.
We also believe reading should be a rich experience. Each week in year 2 and throughout Key Stage 2, children study high-quality texts or extracts from a range of genres, authors, and contexts. These texts are closely linked to topics across the curriculum, helping to deepen pupils’ subject knowledge while exposing them to new vocabulary and ideas. From fiction and poetry to non-fiction and real-world texts, our carefully curated selection broadens horizons, sparks curiosity and most importantly creates readers who simply want to read more.
Becoming a fluent reader is a key focus of our curriculum. Through regular, focused daily practice, children develop their ability to read with accuracy, speed and expression. Prosody—the rhythm, intonation, and phrasing of spoken language—plays a vital role in this. We explicitly teach children how to use prosody to bring meaning and emotion to their reading notably in fictional texts, helping them to engage with texts on a deeper level, in turn enhancing their comprehension.
Discussion is at the heart of our reading sessions – reading is definitely not about writing answers in books. Pupils are encouraged to explore and share their interpretations of texts, building critical thinking and oracy skills. Alongside this, we openly encourage all children to share their views especially if they are interpreting a text in a different way. This emphasis on talk also helps children to discuss the language of books, enriching their vocabulary and shaping their understanding of text structures. Please click the button below to see an overview of our weekly whole class reading sessions
We nurture independent reading habits by promoting a diverse reading culture. Pupils have access to a broad range of texts and are encouraged to select books that match their interests and reading age. Studying engaging texts, immersing ourselves in book studies, and visits to the class and/or school library further inspire children to see reading as a joyful and rewarding experience. What better way to reflect this than to see our children regularly swapping books with one another!
Ongoing assessment of children’s fluency and comprehension ensures that each child’s reading journey is carefully monitored. Targeted support is provided for those who need it, ensuring that every pupil is given the opportunity to thrive.
"If we teach a child to read but fail to develop a desire to read, we will have created a skilled non-reader, a literate illiterate. And no high-test score will ever undo that damage."
Kylene Beers
Impact
Our school leaders, including a dedicated RWI lead and separate English lead, monitor the provision of reading through learning walks in English, Phonics and Reading sessions. Our headteacher and teaching team monitor the impact of this provision through the analysis of end of year cohort data, Phonics Screening Check and end of Key Stage 1 and 2 Reading results. We also look at individual pupil progress throughout the year using on-going assessments.
High progress measures from a child’s initial reading ability: The teachers and teaching assistants, evaluate the children’s reading development on an ongoing basis, with more formal assessments - NFER & PIXL (for fluency) - taking place half-termly and, for some children using the Salford Reading Test. We believe every child can succeed and will become a reader in our school.
A fostering of reading for pleasure: As a Year 6 reader, transitioning into secondary school, we aspire that children are fluent, confident and able readers, who can access a range of texts for pleasure and enjoyment, as well as use their reading skills to unlock learning and all areas of the curriculum. We firmly believe that reading is the key to all learning and so the impact of our reading curriculum goes beyond the results of the statutory assessments. If you are interested in seeing our magnificent reading results, please refer to the data section of our website (they're pretty good too).
We’ve been told by our older children in school, that listening to stories being read is the best part of their day!
What are you reading at the moment?
Books for Topics: a superb website if you’re looking for a new book
