Curriculum Intent
Our children will be young readers, developing the fluency and confidence to successfully comprehend and enjoy a wide range of texts and media. They will develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information, and know that reading is an open door to expanding their world and to all other learning opportunities. Our children will explore genres and appreciate the work of a wide range of authors, developing preferences and making discoveries. They will acquire a wide vocabulary, develop a range of reading strategies, experience unfamiliar settings and unpick hidden meanings. They will learn to read and write as an author, to interpret, predict and enjoy reading aloud with developing prosody. Above all, they will develop a critical appreciation and love of reading and literature.
Curriculum Implementation
Quality texts feature at the heart of all aspects of the reading curriculum. Each year group reads a range of up-to-date recommended books which include new releases, chosen classics, books from well-known authors, picture books, poetry and non-fiction texts. Newspapers, journals and graphic novels are included in our provision of a rich reading journey, as are good quality reading materials to support the wider curriculum.
Our well-resourced library is timetabled for use. High quality reading displays support learning across the curriculum and inviting book corners foster a love of reading. Every opportunity is taken for children to be heard read and to read independently and together; 'book talk' is encouraged and all teachers read to their classes.
Strategies for developing reading are taught to all children daily.
Phonics
A strong phonics programme, Little Wandle Letters & Sounds, supports the development of reading. We invest heavily in supporting resources and CPD. Alongside learnig phonics, children progress through a range of age-appropriate texts.
Teaching Reading Fluency
Whilst a rigorous phonics programme ensures children develop their ability to decode words, we recognise that fluent readers are no longer simply 'decoding' each word they encounter and saying them at speed. In each school year group, children are taught the knowledge and skills needed to recognise words automatically, accurately and quickly. Strategies are in place to help children to develop prosody and the ability to read with appropriate expression at an appropriate pace. They are taught to phrase, recognise new vocabulary and comprehend the meaning of words, and to use expression effectively.
Teaching for comprehension and enjoyment
As pupils develop fluency, they are taught metacognitive strategies so that they can visualise, question, and interpret what they are reading, and they can think about their own feelings and opinions while reading text.
We use whole class shared texts, which allow for exploration of wider themes and of how authors interleave ideas and plots.
In addition to whole class reading sessions, teachers will choose rich sections of text from their recommended lists and stand-alone short texts to develop comprehension skills.
Whole-class reading sessions are taught at least three times per week, using the VIPERS structure (Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and the ability to Sequence or Summarise). This approach ensures the modelling of reading and comprehension strategies, with lessons based around one or several of these reading 'domains'.
Curriculum Impact (including pupil outcomes)
Children enjoy reading and choose to do read for pleasure and purpose. They read fluently and with understanding, and are able to discuss their opinions and preferences. They employ an increasingly wide range of reading skills: they recognise ambitious vocabulary in context and can make inferences and deductions about what they read; they can predict events and summarise a text. They read an extensive range of fiction and non-fiction texts, both for pleasure and to support their wider learning. Children talk enthusiastically about books.