“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” ― Dr. Seuss
At Tewkesbury C of E, we want our children to:
To ensure that reading is central to every part of learning and must therefore be at the heart of all learning. We intend to instil a love of reading across the school and develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. Ultimately, we aim for all children to enjoy reading in order to become lifelong reader
Ensure the children have a balanced diet of reading independently, guided whole class reading and listening to stories, texts and poems.
To create learning environments that promote reading across the school – from the library to the corridors and classrooms.
To develop a lifelong enjoyment of reading, taking genuine pleasure and intrigue from what they read.
For children to become ‘thirsty’ for words, stories, poems and facts!
To read confidently and fluently and seek to acquire knowledge independently.
Develop the reading skills they need to access all areas of the curriculum.
Make responses to what they have read and justify those responses
At Tewkesbury C of E, we consider ourselves a community of readers. Therefore, we expect all adults to model and communicate their love of reading in the following ways:
By planning daily engaging whole class reading opportunities.
By planning regular reading time sessions and times when everyone in class is reading simultaneously.
By planning class participation in school and national literacy events which promote reading e.g. links with the local library, visits from authors and storytellers, World Book Day and local reading challenges (Read for Good – Gloucestershire).
Why do we teach it the way we do?
Our school has a reading curriculum that ensures children in KS2 have a daily diet of quality first teaching through whole class reading. We ensure that ‘agreed consistencies’ allow all staff a clear sequence of learning in order for all children to access high quality books and texts that will stretch their knowledge and understanding.
We prioritise the following reading foci (found on our skills progression grid) in our sequence (see agreed consistencies) of teaching in every WCR lesson:
1. Careful book choice being key to igniting all learner’s interest and enjoyment of a book, text or poem.
2. Pre-teaching novel, unusual and adventurous vocabulary.
3. Explicitly teaching and modelling reading fluency.
4. Focussing on a particular reading skill e.g. retrieval, inference, prediction, summary, commentary/comparison & author’s choice.
In KS1, our curriculum is designed to ensure that all children are proficient in their phonics through the ULS scheme (supported by Mangotsfield), therefore enabling them to access and enjoy a wider range of books in KS2.
We want reading to become an enjoyable habit that can be enjoyed and celebrated at home therefore we aim to involve parents with children’s reading habits.
What do we teach?
What does this look like?
How is Reading taught at Tewkesbury C of E Primary?
The Reading Curriculum:
Reading is taught daily throughout the school. We recognise that reading is a highly interconnected subject, so teachers, therefore, consider links between areas of reading in their planning across the curriculum. Our Reading curriculum follows the National Curriculum 2014. The length of time spent on individual objectives is informed by teacher knowledge of the children’s needs.
Content is designed to be progressive and challenging for all. Teachers will plan with high expectations, following a mastery approach. Our approach to teaching reading at KS2 is based around our school's ‘agreed consistencies’ apparent in all whole class reading sessions. (Please note that Y2 begin teaching reading this way once phonics knowledge and application is secured):
What will this look like?
By the time children leave our school they will:
LOVE reading and have a thirst to read.
Find PEACE from reading.
Have RESPECT for authors from across the world and from all walks of life.
Know what a COMMUNITY of readers looks and feels like.
See the library as a place to RESPECT and VALUE it.
Because books are the gateway to knowledge, new worlds and life, that they would bring every child a HOPE and a way to escape a difficult world. These are all an integral part of our VALUES at Tewkesbury C of E Primary. We see the BIBLE as a book that is full of LIFE – life in all its fullness.
Children have regular experiences of reading throughout the school day and through a range of subjects. They may be researching information on the internet, using non‐fiction books in History or RE, or finding out about processes in science. Opportunities for individual, paired and group reading take place throughout the curriculum.
As part of our whole school focus on reading this term, we are re-introducing AR reader so that children have a clearer idea as to which book to pick based on their reading ability. We know that the only way to get better at reading is to read! Practice makes progress; therefore, we hope that by using AR reader, this will help children to become more motivated to read more frequently and that this will become the most beneficial habit they will ever develop in life!
In Key Stage 2, we will baseline the children through an AR quiz which will guide us as teachers to give each child a book range to choose between suited to their reading ability. This will be a starting point for children to pick books with greater direction until their next quiz, next term where the level will likely increase.
What is Accelerated Reader?
AR is a programme used to motivate students to increase their reading & vocabulary comprehension and guide them to independent reading. AR is a popular reading programme used in thousands of schools. There is a proven link between strong reading skills and academic success – great readers make great learners! This compliments our goal of having each child reading independently for at least 20-30 minutes per day at school and at home.
Online Program
With the AR online programme, children will not only be able to quiz on the books available through our school library and in our classrooms, but also books at home, in any library and in any bookshop. You can check whether a book is on the AR programme by visiting www.arbookfind.co.uk. There is also an AR Bookfinder app which can be downloaded.
How does AR work?
1. Each child is tested & assigned a book level based on the result of their test (the test will give a reading age and a ZPD score, which tells us the best level to challenge and support each child).
2. Students then choose an AR book based on their interest and reading level. Most school books will have a number on the spine of the book
3. When they have finished reading the book, they take the AR quiz on the website to assess their comprehension. This will be done at school during silent reading or at home (without help from an adult).
4. The child earns points (based on how many words they have read) for showing an understanding of the text. They earn full points by answering all test questions correctly. (Children who average at least an 85% on quizzes are considered to understand what they read at an average level.)
How can I help my child?
1.Promote reading at home: encourage them to read; read to them; let them see you reading; encourage them to carry their book wherever they go – so they are always ready to read!
2. Ask them about the current book they are reading and what they like, dislike, any puzzles/questions or patterns they notice.
3. Give lots of encouragement and congratulate them when they reach their goal.
Two books to choose – one at child’s level and another book for pleasure
Finally, it is important that children choose two books for home.
1. Book chosen based on their AR level and interest
2. Bedtime book freely chosen for pleasure at any level (to be read to, read together or simply for pleasure).
The programmes of study for reading at key stages 1 and 2 consist of 2 dimensions:
word reading
comprehension (both listening and reading)
It is essential that teaching focuses on developing pupils’ competence in both dimensions; different kinds of teaching are needed for each.
Skilled word reading involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Underpinning both is the understanding that the letters on the page represent the sounds in spoken words. This is why phonics should be emphasised in the early teaching of reading to beginners (ie unskilled readers) when they start school.
Good comprehension draws from linguistic knowledge (in particular of vocabulary and grammar) and on knowledge of the world. Comprehension skills develop through pupils’ experience of high-quality discussion with the teacher, as well as from reading and discussing a range of stories, poems and non-fiction. All pupils must be encouraged to read widely across both fiction and non-fiction to develop their knowledge of themselves and the world they live in, to establish an appreciation and love of reading, and to gain knowledge across the curriculum. Reading widely and often increases pupils’ vocabulary because they encounter words they would rarely hear or use in everyday speech. Reading also feeds pupils’ imagination and opens up a treasure house of wonder and joy for curious young minds.
It is essential that, by the end of their primary education, all pupils are able to read fluently, and with confidence, in any subject in their forthcoming secondary education.
Ofsted – Good
