Reading
Reading
INTENT
At The Icknield Primary School, we are dedicated to fostering a lifelong love of reading in every child. We strive to ensure that children become confident readers by systematically teaching them a range of strategies that will enable them to read fluently and with good understanding. In becoming confident readers, children will be able to access information to support their development in all curriculum areas and develop an enjoyment of reading that will enrich their lives.
IMPLEMENTATION
In EYFS and Key Stage 1, we introduce phonics through the Little Wandle programme, ensuring a strong foundation in reading skills from an early age. With these tools, we create an engaging and supportive environment where children not only improve their reading abilities but also discover the joy and adventure found within the pages of a book. We use Accelerated Reader, in Key Stage 2, to track and celebrate each student’s progress, helping them develop confidence and excitement in their reading journey. During Year 2, children will make the transition from Little Wandle phonetically decodable books to the Accelerated Reader scheme and guided group reading. Accelerated Reader (AR) is a digital whole-class reading management and monitoring programme that aims to foster independent reading among pupils. The internet-based software initially screens pupils according to their reading levels using Star Reading Assessment and suggests books that match their reading age and reading interest. Pupils take computerised quizzes on the books they have read, and quiz performance allows teachers to monitor pupils progress in reading. All fiction books in our school library are aligned to Accelerated Reader. Pupils also have access to a stimulating and diverse range of non-fiction books.
Where required, some children will read regularly in school to an adult (member of staff or parent/ grandparent volunteer).
In line with our homework policy, children are encouraged to read at least 4 times a week, if not daily at home. Pupils’ home reading is recorded in reading record journals provided by school.
Reading comprehension is also taught as a discrete skill using the structure of VIPERS (Vocabulary, Inference, Predict, Explain, Retrieve and Summarise). This is used for guided reading lessons, 4 times a week, from Year 2 to Year 6. Children become familiar with a high-quality text over the course of a week, via various strategies such as echo reading and reading sections aloud in unison with a reading partner. Alongside this, pupils are taught each of the strategies to increase their comprehension and interpretation of the content of a text and authorial intent.
IMPACT
The Reading curriculum is evaluated through:
• Analysis of phonics assessments
• Formative assessment of guided reading comprehension responses
• Star Reader and Quiz assessments (Accelerated Reader)
• Summative assessments twice per year for Years 2 to 6
As we believe that reading is key to all learning, the impact of our reading curriculum goes beyond the result of statutory assessments. Children have the opportunity to enter the wide and varied magical worlds that reading opens up to them. As they develop their own interest in books, a deep love of literature across a range of genres cultures and styles is enhanced.
Through the teaching of systematic phonics and reading enquiry, our aim is for children to become fluent and confident readers who can apply their knowledge and experience to a range of texts through the Key Stage 2 curriculum.
As a Year 6 reader, transitioning into secondary school, we aspire for children to be 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 aim for pupils to relate their reading experiences to their own personal development, developing an empathy for characters and making links to their own behaviours.
In addition to this:
• Parents and carers will have a good understanding of how they can support reading at home, and contribute regularly to home-school records.
• The percentage of pupils working at age-related expectations and above, within each year group, will be at least in line with national averages and will match the ambitious targets of individual children.
• The gaps in the progress of different groups of pupils will be minimal (e.g. disadvantaged vs non-disadvantaged).