Intent

At Netherton CE Primary School, our reading curriculum is shaped by our school vision which aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability or additional needs, to flourish to become the very best version of themselves they can possibly be. To achieve this in reading, we intend for all of our children to become enthusiastic and independent readers, who are nurtured to foster a love of reading that becomes lifelong whilst learning the skills to decode and navigate the world and context of the text they are reading so they can fully comprehend.

Pupils will develop a rich vocabulary, following narratives, non-fiction and poetry that captures their interests from Nursery to year 6. Teachers will foster the love of reading through a rich reading for pleasure environment, making recommendations and using oracy to open up the world of the text through high quality discussion and in-depth conversations. The Read Write Inc. synthetic, systematic, phonics scheme will give pupils the tools to decode words and sentences through texts that match their phoneme/grapheme correspondence and the ability to apply new sounds and words in context. Pupils beyond this, will enjoy texts designed at their age-related expectations to comprehend and develop fluency skills whilst also reading entirely for pleasure.

Our intension is for the curriculum to be progressive in terms of knowledge, skills and understanding as well as culturally and through a diverse range of text types which will capture the interests of all pupils and ensure that there is a book for everyone.

Implementation 

We teach the National Curriculum, through clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced to maximise learning for all children. In Foundation and KS1, there is a greater emphasis on phonics through our rigorous Read Write Inc. programme where pupils are assessed and grouped to ensure that they are making rapid progress and reading texts related to their individual phonological awareness. As well as this, reading for pleasure books and class Storytime is dedicated to fostering a love of reading.

After the phonics programme is completed, children read a diverse range of texts which are age related and explore themes through an oracy lesson and VIPERS lessons which focuses on the skills and knowledge of how to comprehend the text by exploring vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval and summarising. Alongside this, rich texts are read out loud, in partners and by the teacher and all pupils access their own copies of the text to develop fluency and have a deep understanding. Children have the opportunity to revisit previous learning, practise and apply new skills in structured but engaging ways.

In our school, our reading curriculum links closely with our writing curriculum; we use quality texts that enthuse and engage our children. Planned teaching sequences closely linked to these texts ensure the children have opportunities for reading, discussion and spoken language lessons that will further enhance their understanding of language. Reading lessons expose our children to the richness of a wide variety of quality texts that challenge, provoke thinking and develop their questioning skills.

Reading is teacher assessed regularly via phonics assessments and regular 1:1 reading records which asses where children progress to next according to their fluency and comprehension skills. Summative assessments of reading comprehension allow us to take a closer look at who is on track to achieve age related expectations and who requires 1:1 or small group reading intervention. We run Fresh start phonics for pupils who need to make rapid catch up with their decoding skills.

We encourage reading for pleasure with children having a choice of challenging and enriching texts as well as building in time for children to read independently and as part of a whole class. All children have many opportunities to read a variety of materials in school and have access to a school library. Reading takes place across the wider curriculum, enabling children to practise their skills and to make connections to other subjects and the wider world.

Impact

Regardless of background, ability or additional needs, by the time children leave Netherton CE Primary School, they will be enthusiastic and motivated readers who are confident and enjoy reading a wide variety of genres and text types. Children have the skills to decode words and have a greater understanding of a wide range of vocabulary. This enables them to read with fluency and understanding and to think deeper and pose questions that further their curiosity and lifelong learning. Children are inspired by literature which enables them to read for pleasure as they continue onwards on their school journey and into adulthood.

Characteristics of a Reader

• Phonic knowledge
• Phonemic awareness
• Understanding of root words
• Good understanding of vocabulary
• Fluency in reading
• Comprehension skills: retrieval, prediction, inferring, explaining, summarising
• A love of reading
• Sharing recommendations
• Good imagination
• Focus
• Perseverance.

Potential Careers

• Teacher
• Book seller
• Copy editor
• Translator
• Lawyer
• Proof reader
• Librarian
• Professor
• Publisher
• Archivist
• Researcher

Road Map

 

Knowledge Organisers