Reading at Carleton Endowed CE (VA) Primary School
Reading is an important skill which aids learning in all curriculum areas. At Carleton Endowed Primary School, we are dedicated to ensuring all children become confident, successful readers and gain a love and enjoyment of reading a wide range of literature.
Intent:
- To ensure our pupils acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and values to become confident and enthusiastic readers.
- Reading forms the core of our curriculum and aides learning in all curriculum areas.
- To enable our pupils to become skilled readers who develop a comprehensive understanding of words, language and texts as they progress through school.
Implementation:
When teaching the English curriculum at Carleton Endowed CE (VA) Primary School, we strive to ensure that all learners acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and values to become confident readers, effective communicators and lifelong learners. Reading forms the core of our curriculum and we are committed to teaching our pupils to become skilled, enthusiastic readers who develop a comprehensive understanding of words, language and texts as they progress through our school. To support our pupils to be able to read for purpose and pleasure, we teach reading in different ways throughout school.
EYFS and Key Stage 1
For a child to enjoy reading, they need to be able to access texts at their level. In EYFS and Year One, pupils participate in small group reading sessions three times every week in the classroom. The books the children access in these sessions are fully decodable and are matched to children’s secure phonic knowledge and word reading. These early reading books are from the ‘Big Cat Phonics for Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised Books’ and therefore directly support our phonics programme.
During these group reading sessions, children read the book three times, each time focusing on a different aspect of reading: decoding, fluency and comprehension (the three-part read).
To further develop their fluency, confidence and enjoyment, children then take these books home at the end of each week and are encouraged to repeatedly read the text. Pupils in EYFS and Year 1, also visit the school library every week and choose a sharing book to take home. This opportunity helps our younger children learn to read for pleasure and further enhances their confidence in handling books and information. For more information about the teaching of early reading in our school, please watch our reading video below or access our 'Reading at Carleton Endowed CE VA Primary School' Guide.
When the pupils enter Year 2 and are reading fluently, group reading sessions are reduced to once a week. Reading skills are however taught through whole class reading lessons and these lesson occur four times a week. For these pupils, the individual reading book they select to take home comes from the Year 2 Class Library. This class library scheme is made up of a wide range of genres and authors and the list of titles within this class library can be found below.
Key Stage Two
In Key Stage Two, whole class reading lessons occur daily. Sessions are centred around a high-quality text chosen by the class teacher. Specific reading skills are then taught and practised. While reading skills are being taught explicitly, the reading content is relevant, inspiring and purposeful and becomes the drive for developing wider subject knowledge.
All pupils in Key Stage Two have their own individual reading book, which they choose from their year group class library. Pupils select a book from a wide range of genres including picture books and graphic novels, non-fiction information books, biographies, poetry and novels. Please see the titles in each year group’s class library below. Pupils choose to work through the class library reading scheme in whichever way they wish.
Having high expectations is very important; all pupils are expected to read at home for 20 minutes a night. In addition to this, pupils may also be reading their own book from home or from the school library.
Impact:
We intend the impact of our reading curriculum will ensure that all of our pupils will make at least good progress from their starting points and will be able to recommend books to their peers and participate in discussions about books. They will be able to read with accuracy, speed, confidence, fluency and understanding, ready to access the secondary school curriculum. Moreover, pupils will develop a life-long love of reading which feeds their imagination and curiosity.