Reading
Intent
We believe that reading is a vital life skill that every child deserves. Without the ability to read and decode text, so much is closed off to a child and, later, as an adult. We aim to not only inspire children through books but also promote a love of reading that empowers them to become lifelong readers. Books should not be seen as a chore but as gateways to other worlds, sparking imagination and creativity.
‘Vocabulary is like mental Velcro - the more you know, the more "hooks" you have to latch onto new words’ (Alex Quigley, author of Closing the Vocabulary Gap).
Our aim for English is to provide a language-rich environment that promotes a culture of reading and writing, where children develop a love of reading and become confident writers in all genres. During their time at our school, pupils are exposed to a variety of texts that inspire, challenge, and engage them. Reading class books and participating in 'book talk' are integral parts of our school day. We passionately believe that teaching children to read and write independently, as quickly as possible, is one of the core purposes of a primary school. These essential skills not only unlock the rest of the curriculum but also greatly impact children’s self-esteem and future opportunities.
Implementation
Reading underpins everything we do at Drighlington Primary School. We value reading as a key life skill and we are dedicated to ensuring children leave our school with a love of reading. Our reading offer focuses on teaching the three key skills needed to help our children read successfully: decoding, fluency and comprehension.
Phonics and early reading
Phonics is at the foundations of reading. In EYFS and KS1 children use the Read, Write Inc (RWI) programme to teach children how to decode and embed phonics. Click here to visit our phonics page.
As children progress into Year 2 and KS2, the focus expands to include fluency and prosody. We use a range of approaches, including model and shared reading, to ensure children develop expressive reading and deepen their understanding of texts. Repeated reading is a core strategy to build fluency, helping children read with confidence and expression.
Through engaging with a variety of texts, children develop essential skills such as:
- Decoding: Breaking down words to read them accurately.
- Fluency: Reading with speed, accuracy, and expression.
- Comprehension: Understanding and interpreting what they read, including vocabulary, inference, and summarizing key points.
Reading is pertinent to all areas of our curriculum so our whole class reading themes and some class texts are also linked to our science/history/geography/RE topics. Children read a rich variety of texts and use these to develop the ability to retrieve information, make inferences and explain author choice.
Reading for pleasure
Reading for pleasure is central to our school ethos. Children are regularly exposed to a variety of high-quality texts that engage and extend their imaginations. Our whole-school reading spines ensure diverse representation of authors, themes, and genres.
Each child has a personal reading book they take home daily to practice reading and nurture a love of books. Class libraries are stocked with a wide range of genres and titles to cater to different interests. Adults and children frequently discuss books and share recommendations to build a reading community.
We collaborate with the Leeds Schools Library Service to provide engaging texts, and our central school library supplements class libraries to offer even more variety.
Parents and children are included in reading-themed activities throughout the year. Our annual Advent reading challenge is a much-anticipated event in the lead-up to Christmas!
Impact
Through the systematic teaching of phonics, we aim for children to become fluent in all phonics sounds by the end of KS1. This allows them to focus on improving comprehension and reading fluency as they progress through KS2. Engagement in reading helps children build a rich vocabulary that enhances both their writing and spoken language.
Our school fosters an environment that promotes a love of reading, ensuring children leave Drighlington Primary School as confident, enthusiastic lifelong readers.
How you can help your child at home
Children should read their school reading book regularly at home alongside a variety of texts that interest the child.
Click here for a leaflet on how to promote a pleasure of reading at home.
Partnerships with parents and carers is an important part of Drighlington Primary School. Working closely with parents enables us to ensure parents feel confident that their child is safe, well looked and is receiving a high quality education during their school hours. The links below offer a range of resources that may also be useful to families.
Read, Write, Inc Phonics Guide for Parents
Places to visit
Local Libraries
Our little free libraries in the school grounds
Further support and useful weblinks
Early Years Development Matters
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum