Reading
Our Approach to Reading
Rationale
At Bredgar Church of England Primary School, we consider writing to be a fundamental skill that enables all children to develop their ‘voice’ and to ensure that their thoughts, feelings and ideas are fully understood and appreciated by others. Our approach uses speaking and listening as a starting point for writing, “if they cannot speak it, then they cannot write it.” The process of writing requires thought, adaptability, creativity as well as mastering the mechanics of transcription and is nurtured through our planning, teaching and assessment of learning. We believe that the use of rich texts and creative approaches is vital in helping our children to grow into confident, independent and aspiring writers that take joy in the written word.
Our Strategy for Reading
Our approach to reading reflects the needs of our children by supporting them to cultivate a rich vocabulary and grow a love for reading and the written word. Becoming a fluent, skilled and attentive reader starts at the earliest stage with class story times, in which books are shared for enjoyment, moving towards more independent reading of a variety of texts and genres. We believe reading to be vital for the emotional, cultural and educational development of every child. The value of reading can be seen through the diversity of texts studies throughout our curriculum as well as the time dedicated to reading. The benefits of the seeds we plant, reach far beyond simple access the whole curriculum, growing in them heightened levels of social and emotional wellbeing. Our approach to reading enables readers to adopt new perspectives, develop empathy and become more socially conscious.
Teaching and Learning in Reading
Reading begins in Early Years with the sharing of picture books, read aloud by an adult, with children encouraged to join in with familiar and repetitive words and phrases. Reception children also enjoy rhymes, poems and songs, reciting poems or parts of longer poems together as a class, which teachers use to build children’s strong emotional connection to language. We use the Little Wandle programme for the teaching of synthetic phonics, in which children first encounter grapheme-phoneme-correspondence [GPCs], develop the skills of segmenting and blending, as well as recognising a number of high frequency and common exception words. These key skills are further practised through regular guided reading sessions, in which children use a phonetically appropriate texts, to develop fluency, prosody and comprehension.
In Key Stage One, reading skills continue to be developed through the Little Wandle phonics program up to and including Phase 5. On successful completion of the programme in Year 2, children are then introduced to the VIPERS approach, which focuses on developing a strong comprehension of the texts being read. The key skills of Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Sequencing / Summarising are specifically taught in timetabled weekly sessions. In addition, Year 2 children begin their journey on Accelerated Reader, a computer program designed to motivate them to read more and encourage independence, through engaging quizzes, goal setting, and personalized recommendations.
Lower Key Stage Two, continues to cultivate the skills necessary for confident, fluent reading, through the VIPERS approach. Each week teachers, focus on a key area modelling how to approach possible questions; how to skim and scan for the most relevant answer and how to form a written response. Initial texts are picture book and image-based, moving on to short chapter books as the year progresses. A minimum of two weekly sessions enables children to revisit and recall the skills as they are being taught. In addition, VIPERS questioning is applied the whole-class text to further provide opportunities to develop comprehension skills through both oral and written responses. Accelerated Reader, continues to support the progress of independent reading, with children taking greater autonomy in their choice of reading book, as well as striving to achieve a personal ‘pass’ target which is set by the class teacher.
Reading skills evolve in Upper Key Stage Two, through increasing lengths and complexity of language in chapter books during VIPERS sessions. Each skill is revisited and expanded upon through the use of a reasoned response with direct reference to the text being studied. Written responses are polished in preparation for more formal reading assessments at the end of the key stage. This process is modelled in the early stages by the class teacher, with whole class discussion and feedback seeking to support children to provide accurate, concise and timely responses to comprehension questions. Accelerated Reader, continues to motivate independent reading with the addition of a time-based / number of books read, class target in order to grow stamina for reading. Children aspire to become ‘free-readers’ by demonstrating an ability to read a wide variety of text types beyond their chronological age, as well as achieving quiz scores consistently above the expected pass rate of 60%.
Further Support for Reading
At Bredgar, we recognise the critical importance of fostering a love for reading among our pupils. To further support reading development, we advocate the "Reading for Pleasure" approach, providing students with weekly access to the school library, where they can select books across various genres and information texts. These texts may challenge their abilities yet ignite their interests, enabling them to share what they discover at home.
Each classroom features Reading Corners, equipped with resources for Accelerated Reader (AR) as well as leisure reading. Furthermore, designated areas related to current subject topics allow children to explore written material that enhances their learning. We allocate time for sharing and discussing books, creating a culture of dialogue around literature. During lunch periods, the quiet club and library sessions afford pupils the opportunity to read alongside adults, cultivating a love for reading. In the summer terms, our reading activities extend outdoors, and teachers actively promote reading by modelling their enthusiasm and discussing its inherent pleasures and skills.
For pupils identified as needing extra support, we implement catch-up phonics schemes through the Little Wandle scheme, along with one-to-one interventions and group guided reading sessions tailored to children’s abilities and needs. This access is designed to motivate, practise, scaffold, and model effective reading strategies.
Assessment
The assessment of reading in the lower school, is carried out in formatively within the Little Wandle Phonics lessons, as well as, one-to-one and guided reading sessions. It includes summative assessments via the Little Wandle program and the National Phonics Screening test. In Key Stage 2, this involves formative assessments using weekly VIPERS, alongside summative NFER tests for Years 3 to 5 and previous SATs papers for Year 6, conducted three times a year. Additionally, we analyse data from the Accelerated Reader program for Year 2 and above and carry out Star Reader tests, to reassess children's Reading Levels and progress termly.
