Reading

Literature and Poetry Spine

To become competent, engaged, excited readers, children need to be exposed to a broad range of high quality texts.
To guarantee this, we have developed a literature spine which runs throughout the school and includes all of the texts children access through whole class teaching. These include a wide range of genres, narrative types and authors as well as non-fiction and poetry.
In EY/KS1 we also have half termly, high quality enrichment text which support current learning.

Partnered Reading (EY/Y1)

Children in EYFS (from Spring 1) and Y1 participate in three partnered reading sessions a week using phonically decodable books, closely aligned to their phonic knowledge. Children read a text three times, each time with a different focus: decode, prosody, and comprehend.

Each week, the partnered reading text is added to each child’s online e-book account so they can also read the text at home.

Whole Class Guided Reading (Y2- Y6)

We understand that reading is about much more than simply decoding words on a page and want all children to have the opportunity to read and understand high-quality text. Our whole class guided reading sessions provide the opportunity for children to practice fluency, extend vocabulary, develop comprehension skills and engage in active discussion where they co-construct meaning from a text.

Individual reading – Infants

Individual reading offers children the essential opportunity to practice their developing skill with a skilled adult.
Children in the infant school read with an adult in school at least two times a week. Children who need more frequent individual reading practice also read with our high quality school reading volunteers
To become proficient readers, children need access to a vast range of appropriately challenging texts. To achieve this, we have invested in a range of high quality reading schemes (e.g. Bug Club Phonics, Big Cat Phonics), including eBooks which offer an excellent range of decodable texts of different genres and styles to appeal to all readers and develop the broad range of reading skills.
Phonically Decodable Books - Children will initially learn to read using phonically decodable books which are closely linked to their phonic knowledge. These books are numerically ordered to match the order in which phonemes are taught within our daily class phonic sessions. Children will be encouraged to reread these books to develop fluency and automaticity.
Rainbow Readers - Once a child is secure in their phonics and applying this confidently to their reading they will progress to Rainbow Readers. These books are arranged into themes, with each colour of the rainbow being linked to a different theme e.g. books with yellow stickers are all about adventure. Children will select books from any of the themes they wish and will be given a rainbow to colour so they can keep a record of their choices. This record will be used by the child and the teacher to discuss their book preferences and to further develop independence and enjoyment in reading and selecting books.
Young Readers Books - In this section books are organised by author, enabling the children to begin to develop library skills. Children will be able to select books by authors of their choice but will also be given a leaflet of recommended reads to support them in their decision-making and help them to begin to recognise their own reading preference.
We understand the importance of regular reading practice at home. Children take a school reading book home each day and we work with parents to encourage them to read at home every night. Approaches to secure this vary, depending on the needs of the cohort, but may include reward schemes, written and oral reminders and parent workshops.

Individual Reading - Juniors

We have invested in a range of high quality text, both modern and classic, to support the children in developing a rich vocabulary, alongside developing stamina and a broad range of reading skills.
Informed by research and the expertise of our local English Hub, we have established our list of ‘unmissable reads’ for lower and Upper Key Stage 2 and continue to build and develop this. There are multiple copies of each book available, which include a sticker inside the front cover which recommends other high-quality books (one by the same author and a similar text) to support children and adults to recommend new books. We take a rigorous approach towards updating the high-quality texts available to the children in the library and those that are included in our ‘unmissable reads’. A group of staff hold a monthly book club, where they share and discuss children’s books and explore recommendations suggested by the library.
S books - Books in this section are organised by author, enabling the children to begin to further develop library skills. Children will be able to select books by authors of their choice but will also have access to a list of ‘unmissable reads' (Gold star) to support them in their decision-making and help them to further understand their own reading preferences. Books at this stage require a higher level of reading stamina than the Young readers and the vocabulary and sentence structure is increasingly more complex. The content of these books is suitable for children from lower key stage two onwards.
S+ books - At this stage children are confident, avid readers who have developed effective library skills. Books in this section are once again organised by author and children will be able to select books by authors of their choice. A list of ‘unmissable reads’ (Gold Star) will be available to support them in their decision-making and ensure children continue to read high quality, challenging text. The content of these books is suitable for children in upper key stage 2.
Additional support is given to reading with those children whose decoding or fluency is hindering their progress. This will be through 1:1 or small group interventions.
Reading champions’ and school reading volunteers read regularly with children who have been identified as requiring regular opportunities to read individually. This may be to support fluency, comprehension or enjoyment.
We understand the importance of regular reading practice at home. Children take a school reading book home each day and we work with parents to encourage them to read at home every night. Approaches to secure this vary depending on the needs of the cohort but may include reward schemes, written and oral reminders, parent workshops etc

Reading for Pleasure:

Daily Story Time

Reading for pleasure is an essential part of developing young readers and all children across the school enjoy hearing high quality text, including classic literature, being read aloud daily. In KS2 this is likely to be whole class novel whilst in EY/KS1 this is usually a high quality enrichment text.

Library

We have a welcoming, well stocked, whole school library and outdoor reading courtyard, designed through input from the children and staff,
The library is a calm and inviting space, which promotes a love for reading through the provision of high quality, beautifully displayed books and regularly updated interactive book displays relating to different authors and themes.
Children have daily access to a vast range of high quality books that they can choose to take home, for their pleasure, in addition to their individual reading book.
We have a qualified librarian who supports children in selecting books, encourages them to review books and purchases books requested by the children
It provides the space for children to read and choose books during playtimes and lunchtimes. Trained librarians in Y3-6 help to run the library.
We have a staff book club who actively read and discuss new/ recommended books to ensure our provision remains up to date, relevant and engaging.
Children are also actively encouraged to borrow picture books from their class libraries.

Enrichment

We fully embrace World Book Day: dressing up, creating potato characters, holding poetry competitions and welcoming authors, poets and storytellers.
Infant classes have a weekly mystery reader where a parent of Y6 child comes to read a story to the class.
A weekly reading morning is held where parents come into class to share a book with their child in the infant school.
We always promote and support the local library summer reading challenge.

For the past four years we have won the award for the school with the most participants in Essex!