Reading Curriculum Intent
At Riston CofE Primary Academy we aim to inspire confident and passionate readers and writers. English is a part of every lesson across our curriculum and is a necessary skill to succeed. Children are supported in developing their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills throughout the whole school in order to prepare them for a successful future.
Reading is a high priority at both of our schools. We celebrate reading and promote a reading culture across the school. Reading is such a vital skill and we aim to provide lots of learning opportunities in order to equip children with the decoding and comprehension skills to become fluent readers. Children are actively encouraged to read 4 times a week and their reading achievements are regularly celebrated. Daily storytimes promote reading for pleasure and allow the children to enjoy listening to a story. Each classroom also has its own inviting reading area to encourage the children to read for their own enjoyment.
In EYFS and KS1 guided reading sessions follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds programme and books are specifically matched to the phonics sounds that they have learnt. Children read 3 times a week in small groups, with a focus on decoding, prosody and comprehension. Once the children have read the book at school, this book is sent home for the child to celebrate their reading with a grown-up at home. Children are also provided with a sharing book from the school library to read together with a grown-up to help us continue to build a love of reading.
Once our children have completed the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds programme and are able to decode most words, read with confidence and fluency, they move onto whole class guided reading sessions. These sessions use texts from the ‘Bug Club’ reading scheme along with carefully chosen, high quality texts to support cross-curricular topics. Children are encouraged to engage in discussions around the book as it is through talk that children can develop their confidence, inference and have their voices heard.
As a result, our children are able to use a range of strategies to decode unfamiliar words. They can read fluently, expressively and with confidence. Many of our children make at least expected progress in reading each year and those who may need extra support are quickly identified and targeted through tailored interventions. Reading is regularly assessed during daily guided reading sessions and termly PIXL assessments. Parents and carers are well-informed about how to best support their child’s reading at home and join us weekly in celebrating our children’s successes.
