Reading

Through Whole Class Reading, we develop confident, fluent and thoughtful readers. Each lesson begins with the explicit teaching of new vocabulary and regular review of previously learnt words to strengthen pupils’ language and understanding. Teachers read aloud and model the thinking processes of expert readers, demonstrating how to make predictions, infer meaning and monitor understanding. Pupils then practise reading aloud with a partner, building fluency, expression and their ‘storyteller’ voice. Through high-quality texts and carefully planned discussion, pupils develop comprehension skills by answering questions, explaining their ideas and justifying their answers using evidence from the text.

Our Whole Class Reading texts are carefully mapped across the year to provide a clear progression in challenge, enabling pupils to build their reading stamina, vocabulary knowledge and comprehension skills over time. Texts increase in complexity through more sophisticated language, themes and structures, ensuring that children are consistently supported and challenged as readers. We also curate a rich and diverse range of literature that reflects the world around us. Our text choices represent a variety of genders, relationships, ages, disabilities and ethnicities, ensuring that all members of our school community can see themselves, their families and their experiences positively reflected in the books they read, while also developing understanding of lives and perspectives beyond their own.

To support with reading at home, we use Accelerated Reader: a computer-based programme that assesses pupils’ reading ability through regular quizzes and tests. It identifies each child’s reading range and matches them with appropriately levelled books that provide suitable challenge. As pupils read and achieve success, the programme tracks progress and recommends increasingly demanding texts to improve reading fluency, comprehension and confidence. Every successful book quiz taken adds to a pupil's word count – motivating them to keep reading and achieve new high scores.