Intent 

  At Austwick Primary School our intent is that all children will be able to read and will develop a love of reading during their time at our school, living out our vision of letting their light shine. Children are given the opportunities to develop deep questions in responding to a story or poem, and explore the meanings of these texts, for example, ‘I wonder what you think happens next?’  ‘How would you feel if you were the person in the story?’ ‘Where have you met these ideas before?’ Time is also given to appreciate the beauty of the language read.  

We understand that reading is a balance of vocabulary and understanding, having mastered the ability to decode fluently. Through a range of strategies, we provide our children with the skills they need to become fluent and avid readers with a passion for books as well as a respect for authors and stories from different cultures. We value reading as a key life skill and are dedicated to enabling our pupils to become lifelong readers, and through perseverance, they will be able to apply their reading to many different situations. Our curriculum closely follows the aims of the National Curriculum for English 2014. 

The national curriculum for reading aims to ensure that all pupils: 

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding. 

• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language. 

• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage. 

• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information 

Implementation 

When planning our curriculum, we consider all these aspects and frame our teaching within high quality texts. We believe reading is key to academic success and so to ensure we have a comprehensive approach to the teaching of reading; we implement the following.   

Reception	Year 1	Year 2		Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised’ programme daily
Small group ‘Little Wandle’ Reading Practice Sessions 3x weekly
Daily story time
Individual decodable reading books			Reading books practiced daily
English lessons based on high quality texts following ‘The Literacy Tree’ scheme.
Tailored intervention provided as needed

For a child to be a successful, independent reader, they need to possess a secure knowledge of word reading and comprehension skills.  

These are: 

• A familiarity with the genre of stories and an ability to make links between stories. 

• A good visual memory. 

• A good auditory memory. 

• A recognition of the letters in the English alphabet. 

• A knowledge of the grapho-phonic construction of words. 

• A familiarity with the syntax (sentence structure and grammatical arrangement) of English text. 

In EYFS & KS1 we realise the importance of phonics (see phonics guidance), teaching the skill of reading through carefully matched decodable books.  We follow the EYFS Statutory Framework (updated September 2021) and The Reading Framework (updated March 2022) to teach the core principles of reading for children in reception and Year 1, and for older pupils who have not yet mastered the foundations. The teaching of reading in Reception and Year 1 follows our chosen Systematic Synthetic Phonics Teaching Programme (SSP) of ‘Little Wandle Lessons and Sounds revised’ including reading practice sessions of modelled reading (prosody), decoding and comprehension. Children are grouped together (maximum of 6 children) and read a book appropriate to their stage of phonics decoding and fluency. Each group follows the same structure over the week at an appropriate level, and children re-read the book often to gain fluency and deepen their understanding. As children progress through Key Stage One they begin to read with a greater independence, accessing reading books matched to their phonic ability and reading age.   

In Key Stage Two the children enjoy an engaging English curriculum based around core texts where appropriate.  In addition to this they practise reading independently through books that are carefully matched to their reading age through twice yearly assessments.  Children continue to be taught the skills necessary for deepening their understanding of texts such as sequencing/summarising, predicting, inferring, vocabulary exposure and retrieval skills.  This is through whole class/guided/individual reading (see Whole Class Guided Reading Policy) as well as Literacy Shed VIPERS/comprehensions.  

We also hope that children read out of school using texts that will interest and challenge them.  Younger children are encouraged to choose a book to share at home from our library.   

Assessment 

• In EYFS, formative assessment occurs during the daily phonics lesson and children who are falling behind are quickly identified and strategies and extra support are put in place to ensure they catch up. See ‘Early Reading Policy.’  Reception to Year 2 are assessed in their phonics every six weeks with the ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised’ programme.  

• Year 1 phonics screening practice test should occur at the end of the Autumn term in Year One and again at the end of Spring Two.     

• In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 children are assessed twice yearly using the GL/NFER reading test.  

• In Years 2 and 6 the children complete the National Curriculum end of Key Stage tests. 

• Reading fluency determine reading books for years 2-6.  

A Culture of Reading  

At Austwick, developing a culture of reading is fundamental to the progression of children in not only reading but other subjects as well. We provide many opportunities for children to experience and gain pleasure from reading in school.  

• 100 books to read in each year group phase.   

• Recommended reads. 

• High quality texts shared in class to represent children’s literacy heritage and cultural diversity. 

• Timetabled sessions for independent reading. 

• Encouraged reading at home.  

• Summer Reading challenge. 

• Sponsored Read. 

• Author visits from different backgrounds and cultures.   

• Well designed and looked after book corners. 

• Information for parents.   

• Library session each week. 

• Librarian roles in Y4-6. 

• Paired reading between classes. 

• Parents/volunteers reading in school.   

• World Book Day.   

• Staff reading in different year groups.   

• Visiting storyteller and workshop. 

Inclusion 

Our reading collection in school will include books which reflect a diverse and multi-cultural society, and these texts will be shared and read amongst the three classes. We are committed to providing effective learning opportunities for all pupils. Teachers will respond appropriately, for example, in early reading, daily monitoring and assessment will highlight any children falling behind. Daily catch up sessions will then take place. The lowest 20% of readers in school will be heard read at least 3x per week by a staff member or volunteer. If there are any difficulties affecting a child’s reading, then class teachers will inform the SENDCO who will assess if any further support is required.  

Impact 

We monitor the impact of our Reading approach through regular assessment and phonics checks. We ensure children are accessing books at the right level and are being challenged in their reading. Pupil voice demonstrates the enthusiasm and pleasure children at Austwick have for reading. 

Policy created: February 2025 

Review Date: February 2026