Reading

The Reading Curriculum at Benwick Primary School

Intent

At Benwick Primary School, we believe that all pupils should have the opportunity to be fluent, confident readers who are able to successfully comprehend and understand a wide range of texts. Through reading, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually.

We believe reading opens up a new world for children and gives them the opportunity to explore new ideas, visit new places, meet new characters and develop a better understanding of other cultures. Building up the childrens’ vocabulary gives them the word power they need to become successful speakers and writers as well as confident readers. Reading is a key life skill and we strive to embed a culture of reading into the core of what we do, providing opportunities for children to read both independently and aloud, as well as allowing them the chance to discuss and recommend books they have read, to their peers.

We want pupils to develop a love of reading, have a good knowledge of a range of authors and be able to understand more about the world in which they live through the knowledge they gain from texts. By the end of their time at primary school, we believe all children should be able to read fluently, and with confidence, in any subject in their forthcoming secondary education.

Implementation

Phonics is taught through our Read Write Inc scheme from Reception, and continued throughout Years 1 and 2. This  provides children with the opportunity to learn sounds and to develop skills of blending and segmenting.

In Key Stage 1 children’s reading books are matched to the sounds they have been learning and additional home reading books are sent home to consolidate prior learning. Children are encouraged to read at home on a daily basis and are given a reading diary, in which parents and teachers can comment on their reading of a particular book.

During Year 2, when children have a reading age of approximately 6 and a half, they start to use Accelerated Reader. The children complete an online multiple choice Star Test, which provides them with a book level and a target for the term. When they have finished reading their book, they undertake a reading quiz based on their comprehension of the text. Accelerated Reader is used throughout Key Stage 2.

In whole class guided reading sessions, children develop their key reading skills of decoding, vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval and summarising (VIPERS). Children also continue to develop their reading fluency skills, building upon their phonics knowledge and skills.

At the end of each term, children are tested on their reading skills using the PIRA reading test from Rising Stars. This provides staff with standardised scores, a reading age for each child and provides individual areas for development.