CAPTAIN WEBB PRIMARY SCHOOL AND NURSERY
Reading Curriculum Statement
Reading Curriculum Statement
Intent
At Captain Webb, we value reading as a key life skill and are dedicated to enabling our pupils to become lifelong readers. We believe that the teaching of reading is integral to a child’s understanding and appreciation of the world around them. We aim to provide children with experiences that will lead to rich language development so that at the end of their primary education with us, they are empowered with a breadth of vocabulary that they can build on in their future prospects.
Our reading curriculum strives to foster a love for reading and we believe that that all children should experience an abundance of quality, engaging texts across the curriculum.
We want reading to be the golden thread running through a child’s journey at Captain Webb. When they leave us, we want pupils to possess the reading skills and love of literature which will help them to enjoy and access any aspects of learning they encounter in the future
Implementation
Through the delivery of our reading curriculum we ensure a consistent and robust teaching and learning of early reading and phonics in FS and KS1, so that pupils are able to read with increased speed and fluency and access the wider curriculum.
We follow the Read, Write Inc Phonics programme; a systematic, synthetic phonics scheme that is validated by the Department for Education. For more information, please follow this link.
Once children have graduated from the RWI scheme, and are able to decode accurately and speedily, reading a lot is the principal way they develop as readers. Putting in the ‘reading miles’ allows pupils to practise their reading, building experience with increasingly complex texts, encountering new knowledge, gaining new language, including vocabulary, and developing their fluency.
Over the course of year 2 and into key stage 2, the focus of the teaching of reading therefore shifts from decoding towards ensuring pupils get this print experience and support with spoken language, both through teacher-led whole class reading sessions and independent reading. Children explore a broad range of challenging texts including fiction, non-fiction and poetry by having purposeful and in-depth discussions with the teacher and their peers to enable them to access the vocabulary, themes and content. Please see the whole class reading long term overview for your year group.
Please also seethe whole school Knowledge and Skills Grids for Reading.
Pupils who need extra support.
Keeping up from the start.
To ensure identified pupils keep up, we provide extra practice, in either small groups or one-to-one tuition. The extra practice is delivered by trained phonics and reading staff. Please refer to the Phonics curriculum link to find out more information about Read Write Inc Phonics Fast Track Tutoring programme.
Some pupils who have graduated from the RWI Phonics may decode accurately but struggle with reading fluency. To help develop this, pupils who are identified as needing extra support will receive additional sessions with a well-trained member of staff.
Story Time
All pupils receive daily story time sessions with their teacher. The pupils listen to a wide range of stories that have all been carefully selected and chosen for their year groups. To find out more about the rationale behind our reading curriculum and the exciting texts your child will be reading, please click on the whole school reading spine below.
Reading for Pleasure
Embedding a school culture that values and supports reading for pleasure is extremely important to us. To enable this, we set aside time for pupils to enjoy and read books independently, discuss texts they are reading and share recommendations. The love2read session is timetabled for all classes once a week and also sets time for pupils to visit our newly refurbished school library. The children can enjoy the freedom of enjoying texts in a tranquil, child centered environment.
All classrooms have attractive book corners where the children have access to 100 quality books, both fiction, non-fiction and poetry books to help embed their love of books, stories and reading.
Reading across the curriculum
Pupils are also expected to read in other subjects to access new information and build their subject knowledge. This reading will also contribute to reading miles and fluency. All subject areas have a recommended text list for all year groups attached to their subject curriculum map.
Poetry and Rhymes
Through sharing, reading, writing and performing rhymes and poems, we aim to build children’s emotional connection to language and the world around us.
Poems are used throughout our curriculum to develop vocabulary, fluency and prosody, imagination and empathy. We also encourage children to review poetry – to form opinions about their own likes and dislikes and to understand and explain their preferences and respect the thoughts and feelings of others.
We are committed as a school to developing a love of reading and to reading aloud each day. Alongside our class reading texts, we have four class poetry books to be shared throughout the year. Of course, teachers can add to the core books to further develop children’s exposure and enjoyment of poetry.
We have identified a core set of poems for each year group. Each year group will learn by heart poems to be performed for assembly or to be shared with parents or visitors. Children will also be encouraged to revisit poems previously learnt.
Each year group will also study a varied selection of poems during guided reading lessons, where vocabulary and meaning can be explored and explained, together with the development of children’s wider reading skills.
Poetry also forms part of our writing curriculum and each year group has different forms of poetry to explore and create. This allows children the opportunity to learn more about particular structures of poetry and allows them to write their own poems using a wide range of poetic devices. Children are encouraged to perform their own poetry alongside the poems learnt by their year group.
We also seek opportunities throughout the year for children to watch or hear poets reciting and discussing their own work.
Please see our Poetry Curriculum
How do we enrich the curriculum?
Book recommendation boards are displayed throughout school to inform pupils are new and popular texts across the age ranges. The children are given the opportunity to loan these books from Mrs Passey and write reviews on these books for our school newsletter.
At Captain Webb, we also have a range of opportunities within the academic year to further enhance reading opportunities for our children. Regular trips to the local library, engaging with national reading events including World Book Day, Roald Dahl Day and National Poetry day. Each year we invite external theatre companies into school to deliver whole school productions and drama workshops for our pupils, recent examples of which are Christmas Carol and Jack and the Beanstalk.
We have also had Dance workshops based on 'Bringing Books to Life'. Year 3 story focus was Charlie and the chocolate factory, Year 4 focus was Alice in Wonderland and Year 5 focus was The Jungle Book.
How can you help your child?
EYFS and KS1
To support their reading journey your child will bring different sorts of books home from school. When your child is in the early stages of learning to read you can help by encouraging them to sound out the letters in words and then to ‘blend’ the sounds together to make a whole word. Please refer to the Phonics Curriculum page on the school website for further information.
Sometimes your child might bring home a picture book that they know well, encourage your child to tell you the story out loud; ask them questions about things that happen or what they think about some of the characters in the story. We assess the children’s’ progress regularly and send home books that are matched to their ability.
KS2
All pupils in KS2 will bring home a copy of their guided reading text to read at home. The class teacher will provide information in regards to homework expectations for reading the guided reading text. E.g. We would like you to read chapters 1 – 3 tonight. We also encourage all pupils to loan books from our school library to enjoy at home.
The school’s Homework Policy states that all children are expected to read at home every day. This is for a maximum of 10 minutes. Reading regularly at home helps to develop children’s reading skills.
Making the time to talk to your children about the books they choose and listening to them reading aloud regularly can make all the difference. Children need to understand why we read. They need to experience the range of feelings that a book can create or the power that can be gained from accessing information. Reading must not only be confined to stories. Many children love reading comics, magazines, newspapers, information books and poetry. All of these reading activities should be encouraged.
Children in Key Stage 2 will all be at very different stages of development, but even for the most fluent readers there is a need for parental support. Most parents or carers are able to create quality time to share a book individually with one child. This is the time when children can develop a much deeper understanding of the books that they are reading. Rather than reading at home being ‘reading practice’, it should extend and enrich the reading experiences of school.
One of the most powerful ways in which parents can do this is to show real enthusiasm themselves. Your sense of excitement about books and stories, your anticipation about what will happen next in a story and a discussion about your own likes and dislikes, will greatly influence your child.
Teachers will check the Home School Reading Record daily and record for our end of term reading rewards including books, book vouchers or an author visit .
Impact
By the time children leave Captain Webb, they are competent readers who can recommend books to their peers, have a thirst for reading a range of genres including poetry, and participate in discussions about books, including evaluating an author’s use of language and the impact this can have on the reader. They can also read books to enhance their knowledge and understanding of all subjects on the curriculum, and communicate their research to a wider audience.
‘I go to Phonics every day to learn my sounds. I can now read words and I’ve just moved to Yellow phonics books.’ – Year 1 pupil.
‘I’ve read many books since I’ve been at Captain Webb. Some of my favourite texts are Stig of the Dump by Clive King, Harry Potter by JK Rowling and Street Child by Berlie Doherty.’ –Year 6 pupil.
‘This year, I’ve enjoyed reading lots of different non-fiction texts. I’m currently reading a non-fiction text on the heart and circulatory system which has helped me answer questions in Science.’ Year 5 pupil.
Attainment in reading is measured using statutory assessments such as the end of EYFS and Key Stage 2 and following the outcomes in the Year 1 Phonics Screening check. Additionally, we track our own reading attainment through the use of RWI half termly and screening assessments, SALFORD Reading Assessments and ongoing teacher assessment.
Assessment data shows that..
82% of children passed the Year 1 Phonics Screening check in 2023.
75% reached ARE at KS1 with 27% reaching greater depth.
78% reached ARE at KS1 with 18% reaching greater depth.
The impact of this implementation was also noted in our 2019 OFSTED:
The teaching of reading is done very well. Staff are trained in how to teach phonics and daily routines and systems make sure everyone gets what they need. Whether reading in class or at home, staff check that pupils have books they understand. If any pupil needs a helping hand, adults find extra time straight away and this stops them from falling behind. As pupils’ confidence grows, teachers introduce them to new books and authors. Most days, teachers read to the class during ‘page-turner time’. They encourage pupils to talk about books and share their views.
