Reading
Intent:
At Welford on Avon Primary School, we understand the important role reading plays in the lives of our pupils and how it can impact on all other areas of the curriculum. We believe that reading feeds pupils’ imagination and opens up a wealth of experiences for curious young minds. It is therefore our aim that, by the end of their primary education, all pupils at Welford on Avon Primary School are able to read fluently with confidence and understanding, in all subjects and across a range of genres.
Aims
At Welford on Avon Primary School, we promote a high standard of reading. Pupils will leave Year 6:
- able to read easily, fluently and with good understanding
- having developed the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
- with a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language.
- able to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences modelled in their reading.
- able to use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas, supported with evidence from the text.
- competent in the skills of speaking and listening, asking and responding to questions and participating in discussions, demonstrating understanding of what they have read.
Implementation:
At Welford on Avon Primary School, reading is taught through:
- Guided Reading sessions with whole class or groups.
- Shared Reading during English lessons and class stories.
- 1:1 reading sessions.
We strive to create a culture of reading for pleasure through carefully chosen quality texts used as a basis for teaching the skills of reading, writing and SpaG using the Pathways to Read programme from Year 2 onwards.
Enthusiasm, motivation and enjoyment for reading is a huge school focus for Welford on Avon Primary School. Whilst continuing to teach children specific skills to improve their reading, we also use the Accelerated Reader programme to evidence independent reading and provide teachers with the ability to guide independent book choices, make suggestions for how to improve reading and intervene when children are struggling with their reading practice.
Teachers model reading strategies during whole class guided reading sessions or English lessons, as well as when reading the class novel at the end of the day. Pupils also have the opportunity to discuss texts in detail during these sessions as well as develop their own reading strategies during independent reading time.
A love of text and reading is fostered through:
- Regular visits to the school library, where children have access to books covering a range of genres and styles. They have time to choose books and share them with others.
- Book recommendations in class, sharing favourite books and making books.
- Teacher’s reading aloud to children every day from a range of quality texts, for example Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine, Page Turners and Poetry Spine.
- Celebrating reading through book awards and prizes from Nursery through to Year 6.
- Participation in the Greenway and Carnegie Book Awards Shadowing Programme.
- Creating attractive reading environments – book corners and reading displays.
Accelerated Reader
Accelerated Reader is a computer programme used by teachers to manage and monitor pupils' independent reading once they are fluently able to read the books with words containing Phase 5 phonics. Each child picks a book of their choice from their assessed level from our well-stocked Library and reads it at their own pace. When finished, the pupil then takes a short quiz on the iPad which assesses their comprehension of the book. The quiz gives both the child and their teachers feedback based on their quiz results; which is used to help set targets and direct ongoing reading practise.
Teachers determine each child's reading level using results from the STAR Reading Tests, which are completed in the first week of every half-term. STAR Reading Tests are computerised reading assessments that use computer-adaptive technology to assess pupils' fluency and comprehension skills. Questions continually adjust to the child's responses so if the child's response to a question is correct, the difficulty of the next question is increases. If a child misses a question, the difficulty of the next question is reduced.
Reading for Pleasure
Many exciting and rewarding activities are arranged in school to promote the pleasure and knowledge that can be gained from books. For example, during World Book Day children are immersed in storytelling, book workshops, book discussions and have the opportunity to dress up as a book character and share their favourite books. We also have numerous book fairs throughout the year and arrange book competitions, such as ‘Book in a Jar’.
Other activities include our Peer Reading where pupils from different year groups read with each other. This provides the younger year groups an opportunity to be taught by the older year groups who enjoy the responsibility these sessions give them. It also enables the pupils more opportunities to read out loud to an audience as well as listen to a story be read to them.
Every child in EYFS and KS1 has access to online books through Oxford Owl, where they read books in a different form. Workshops are held to support our parents several times throughout the year. This helps them to work with their children and help them read at home.