Please click icon above for the Reading Curriculum Progression document.
Intent
At Five Ways Primary School, we believe that all children, in all year groups, should have access to high quality texts; enabling them to experience the intrinsic joy that reading can bring, as well as developing a knowledge and understanding of the world around them. We believe that reading is the key to all other subjects and is at the heart of becoming a well-rounded individual. Reading exposes our children to the language and vocabulary that they need now and in their future.
Implementation
Our reading curriculum begins with a systematic synthetic phonics approach – Success for All Fischer Family Trust (FFT). We know that high-quality phonics teaching improves literacy levels and gives all children a solid base on which to build and develop their reading habits so that they read widely and often for information and pleasure.
The FFT phonics programme is part of a comprehensive package of programmes which we use to support a mastery approach to phonics and early reading. The FFT Success for All programmes - Phonics, Shared Reader, Tutoring with the Lightning Squad and Reading Assessment Programme (RAP) - complement each other in highly effective ways and provide the tools to develop competent, fluent early readers, preparing the way for passionate and successful lifelong reading. We have strong fidelity to the programmes we have selected because we ensure that training is of the highest quality. All staff have access to regular training and share best practice in school and with others. We are well supported by the team at FFT Success for All who offer responsive and up-to-date information and professional development. As a result, our staff are well trained and proficient in the teaching of phonics and early reading and are able to continue to nurture fluency and understanding. Parents are invited to attend workshops to build a wider school community of well-informed parents/carers, who can support children effectively at home.
Books, high quality texts and stimuli are at the centre of our curriculum planning and are chosen for their rich content, adventurous and ambitious vocabulary, and where appropriate, links with other subjects.
Through a mixture of modern and classic authors, fiction and non-fiction and a varied range of diversity, our reading journey provides the backbone to reading, writing and other subjects. Our reading diet reinforces decoding, fluency and comprehension whilst allowing pupils to apply reading skills across a range of contexts.
Reading takes priority in our timetable, with multiple opportunities available each day. We believe in the importance of discussion, building on ‘Book Talk’ with both modelled and independent comprehension opportunities. Further to this, we share a daily class story or novel with the pupils – reading this aloud to ensure that pupils can fully immerse themselves in the moment, without cognitive overload.
- Reading framework
- Vision of classroom practice, consistency of approach
- Reading for pleasure
- Promotion of reading, through raising the profile of reading through reading ambassadors and other incentives
Well-matched home-reading books are in place in all classes. For children accessing FFT, titles mirror the children’s current phonics group stage and texts. Once children have passed their phonics screening, banded home reading books that closely match to both their decoding and comprehension abilities are provided for the children to select.
We recognise and value the importance of home-reading; therefore, we ask that children read at home at least 3 times per week. Additional to this book, children also have access to a range of books in classes to take home to read for pleasure, including those from our school library.
We recognise that some pupils may need support in reading and teachers use regular assessment (FFT Reading Assessment Programme) to ensure that all children are both well-challenged and supported as necessary. Children in KS2, needing phonics intervention, access the Lightning Squad Tutoring package and this is reviewed regularly to ensure that support is well-targeted. Lightning Squad can be accessed at home too.
Comprehension is assessed through ‘Book Talk’ and comprehension style questions where appropriate.
All the above is monitored regularly through learning walks, work scrutiny and discussion with children to ensure quality first teaching.
Reading holds upmost importance in our whole school culture and has a high profile across our whole school. National reading events are celebrated with consistency and enthusiasm, books are celebrated in many spaces around school.
Impact
Through implementation of our robust reading offer, we expect that pupils will develop a strong foundation of literacy skills including being able to read with age-appropriate fluency, use and understand a wide range of vocabulary and comprehend texts securely. Communication skills of our pupils will be enhanced, with children able to express themselves confidently and articulately in both spoken and written forms. With thanks to our cross-curricular focus, pupils will have broadened knowledge and perspective of a wide range of historical, geographical, and cultural topics, increasing their tolerance and empathy as well as expanding their understanding of the world around them. Reading proficiency will increase across all year groups, across all subject areas, with students well equipped to comprehend and analyse a variety of texts and information presented to them. This impact will be monitored with regular assessment.
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