Reading
"Reading is like breathing in, writing is like breathing out." (Pam Allyn)
Reading underpins children’s access to the curriculum and has a significant impact on their achievement. However, at St Chad’s, we believe that reading is about much more than academic success. Reading can open up new worlds, help children make sense of their own experiences and enable them to understand the experiences and perspectives of others.
We want every child to leave St Chad’s as a confident, capable reader and a reader for life.
From Decoders to Readers for Life
Learning to decode is an essential first step in learning to read, but becoming a reader is about much more than being able to read the words on a page.
At St Chad’s, our approach to reading is informed by the Scarborough Reading Rope, which recognises that skilled reading develops through the interaction of two key strands: word recognition and language comprehension.
Word recognition includes the skills children need to read words accurately and fluently, including phonological awareness, decoding and increasingly automatic word recognition.
Language comprehension includes the background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning and literacy knowledge children need to understand and make meaning from what they read.
Our reading curriculum is designed to develop both of these strands from Nursery through to Year 2, enabling children to move from decoders to readers for life.
Phonics and Early Reading
To become fluent readers, children need to be taught an efficient strategy for decoding words. That strategy is phonics.
At St Chad’s, we teach reading through the systematic synthetic phonics programme, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised.
We begin teaching the foundations of phonics in Nursery and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression from Reception onwards. Phonics is taught daily and children are supported to keep up with the programme so that gaps in learning are identified and addressed quickly.
In addition to their daily phonics lessons, children take part in reading practice sessions. These sessions are:
- timetabled four times each week
- taught by a trained teacher or trained teaching assistant
- delivered in small groups
- carefully matched to children’s developing phonics knowledge
Reading practice sessions focus on three key areas:
- decoding – reading words accurately
- prosody – reading with appropriate phrasing, expression and understanding
- comprehension – making meaning from the text
Children take a decodable reading practice book home each week so that they can practise reading successfully and build confidence and fluency alongside a parent or carer.
Further information about the teaching and learning of phonics at St Chad’s can be found here.
Daily Read Aloud and Our Reading Spine
At St Chad’s, children experience the joy and richness of high-quality literature every day.
Every class has a Daily Read Aloud, giving children regular opportunities to listen to, enjoy and talk about carefully chosen books. Our Reading Spine identifies the high-quality texts that we want children to know, revisit and remember as they move through the school.
These are books that we want children to know back to front and inside out.
Our Reading Spine includes a carefully selected range of:
- quality picture books
- traditional tales
- traditional tales with a twist, particularly in Key Stage 1
- non-fiction texts
- rhyming stories
- new and contemporary fiction
Books are selected with careful consideration given to quality, language, vocabulary, themes, authors and representation. We want children to encounter a rich range of stories, information and perspectives, while also developing familiarity with the books, stories and literary experiences that form part of our shared cultural knowledge.
We continue to develop and refresh our Reading Spine. Our English Lead attends the annual Derby Book Festival and regulalry takes part in English Networks, helping us to stay abreast of new, high-quality children’s literature and the work of authors and illustrators.
Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Doors
Our approach to book selection is inspired by Dr Rudine Sims Bishop’s concept of literature as windows, mirrors and sliding doors.
We believe that books should provide children with opportunities to:
- see themselves – finding aspects of their own lives, identities and experiences reflected in the books they read
- see others – developing understanding of lives, experiences and perspectives beyond their own
- step into other worlds – using books as a doorway into new places, possibilities and experiences
We carefully select books that ensure all children have opportunities to see themselves and others represented. Through our Reading Spine, class book corners and wider reading experiences, children encounter a broad and inclusive range of characters, families, communities, cultures and experiences.
An overview of our Reading Spine can be viewed below.
Teaching Children How to Understand What They Read
Reading comprehension is explicitly taught at St Chad’s. We teach children the active reading skills they need to engage with, think about and make meaning from texts.
In the Early Years, these skills are taught through St Chad’s Fantastic Four:
- Clever Clogs Clara – Predicting: What do I think might happen next?
- Nosey Nora – Questioning: What would I like to know?
- Chatterbox Chan – Summarising: What are the important parts?
- Relating Raj and Roop – Making Connections: What does this remind me of?
As children move into Key Stage 1, these skills are developed further through St Chad’s Super Six:
- Clever Clogs Clara – Predicting
- Nosey Nora – Questioning
- Chatterbox Chan – Summarising
- Relating Raj and Roop – Making Connections
- Daydreamer Deidre – Visualising: What can I picture in my mind?
- Forgetful Fred – Clarifying: What do I need to go back and check or find out?
These characters provide a consistent, child-friendly language for talking about reading. Children are explicitly taught how to use these strategies and are supported to apply them across a wide range of texts and reading experiences.
Language and Communication Across the Curriculum
Reading is not confined to English lessons.
We have a strong focus on language development because we know that speaking and listening are crucial to children’s development as readers and writers. High-quality texts and carefully selected reading opportunities sit at the heart of learning across the curriculum, helping children to develop vocabulary, build knowledge and make connections between their learning.
Wordy Winston encourages children to actively develop their language and communication skills across the curriculum. He reminds children to use and explore new vocabulary, talk about their learning and communicate their ideas clearly. Through this consistent approach, we help children to develop the language they need to understand, discuss and engage with increasingly complex texts.
Children experience a wide range of texts across their time at St Chad’s, including stories, poetry, traditional tales, information texts and texts linked directly to their wider curriculum learning.
Creating a Culture of Reading
We want reading to be visible, valued and enjoyed throughout our school.
Every classroom has an inviting book corner designed and organised using the principles of Communication Friendly Spaces. These spaces provide a calm and welcoming environment where children can browse, share and enjoy books.
Alongside books, storytelling is promoted through resources such as:
- story stones
- puppets
- small world resources
- role-play materials
- costumes
Our communal learning environments also promote a love of reading and high-quality literature. Displays are carefully curated to introduce children to a wide range of books and authors and to ensure that reading remains a visible and valued part of daily school life.
Children also have opportunities to choose books to share and enjoy at home with their families, helping to build the important connection between reading in school and reading for pleasure beyond the classroom.
Home Reading and Working with Families
At St Chad’s, we recognise the important role that parents and carers play in supporting children to become confident and enthusiastic readers.
Children take home appropriate reading books and use our Home Reading Booklets to support regular reading at home. These resources provide families with practical guidance about how they can support their child’s reading and talk about books together.
Throughout the year, we also hold parent and carer workshops covering different aspects of reading, including:
- early reading skills
- phonics
- reading decodable books
- supporting comprehension
- sharing books and developing a love of reading at home
We recognise that some of our parents and carers are themselves acquiring English, which can affect their confidence in supporting home reading. We are committed to supporting our whole school community and ensuring that all families can enjoy books and reading together.
We also promote wider reading opportunities beyond school. This includes encouraging families to visit their local library and supporting children to develop the habit of choosing and sharing books for pleasure.
Further information about our home reading programme, including how we work closely with our families to support home reading, can be found here.