Teaching Reading 

Reading is evident in everything all we do here at Fleetville Junior School. We know the importance of reading fluently  and helping children identify texts that they enjoy reading. We know that the ability to read unpins the rest of our taught curriculum and that enjoying  books allows our pupils to journey within and beyond what they know.

Reading is taught both discretely and as a component of the teaching sequence for Writing. Children are given the opportunity during some English lessons to read texts for meaning, infer perspectives and authorial intent, use what they have read as a model for writing and build vocabulary. As well as this, strategies recommended by the CLPE are also used in teaching, linked to our core texts. To enhance this, reading is also taught using a Whole Class Guided Reading approach and within our phonics lessons. In these sessions, children are taught to develop their higher order reading skills.

Other opportunities for reading include:

• Dictionary skills – in all subjects
• Library skills; Children are taught to use the library system and to care for the books and make sure they are always returned to the appropriate place.
• Research skills including use of contents, index, etc. They are taught to use a wide range of sources so that they become competent and confident users of a variety of resources. We also ensure that the resources we provide contain the information they are searching for and are updated regularly and include the use of ICT for research.
• All children are read aloud to regularly from a selection of contemporary and classic texts.
• Book are used in assemblies to promote the school and British values and explore a variety of themes.
• Each child has a reading record book, which is signed weekly by the class teacher and parent. It is expected that the children will read at home with their parents for a minimum of 20 minutes every day. Children are able to use from a selection of books link to their reading ability. Children still developing their phonological knowledge will take home books linked to their phonic phase. 
• In order to enhance the reading culture in school, we have developed effective partnerships. Book fairs are  held, national book days are celebrated  and authors and poets visit school.

As a school, we work hard to carefully select and use high quality texts which cover a range of themes, topics and genres.  These books are at the centre of our units of work and topics within each year group and we aim to ensure that our pupils know these books well before they transition to the next academic year. Following a review of our English curriculum, we have worked to ensure that the books we use are rich, inclusive and diverse, allowing our pupils to see themselves in the books we use and stories we read.

Our texts are reviewed annually to allow teaching to meet the needs of our pupils and to reflect our school community. 

Teaching Reading at Fleetville

Reading is embedded into all areas of curriculum. Below is further information about how the teaching of reading is sequenced and adapted for specific children.

Early Reading

For pupils that are developing their reading skills and need support with their decoding skills, discrete phonic sessions are taught throughout the week. These sessions help children develop and secure their blending and segmenting skills to enable them to read more fluently.

Rapid Phonics, a targeted intervention program, is used to help pupils make accelerated progress with their phonological knowledge. All staff have been trained to use the scheme and knowledge that is learnt in phonic sessions is consolidated in English and Guided Reading sessions. 

Sessions are structured to give pupils the opportunities to revisit phonemes and graphemes and use these to decode and write words and sentences. 

Substantive Knowledge

In reading, substantive knowledge is the ability to decode and sight read words. This allows children opportunities to read for pleasure, including reading and reciting poetry, and develop their vocabulary. Children are then able to apply their knowledge of reading strategies to comprehend a range of texts.

Disciplinary Knowledge 

In reading, the disciplinary knowledge is the interpretation and comparison of themes and conventions, using text to back up arguments and discussions and evaluating the intentions of the author

Reading for pleasure

At Fleetville Junior School, we are keen to promote a love of reading and encourage children to explore books from different genres. 

The children are given a variety of opportunities to read for pleasure and be introduced to different authors. There is designated time each day for the children to listen to stories read aloud and time throughout the week for key reading skills to be taught in whole class and 1:1 sessions. 

Year Group Recommended Reads

We have recently devised new recommended reading lists age-appropriate books for children in each year group. The The lists contains of books from different genres and we hope there is something for everyone. When creating the lists, we looked at recommended lists which had already been produced online and looked at the types of books that our children were borrowing from the school library. 

The books that we have chosen explore a range of themes and topic that are appropriate to the age of the children and can promote discussions at a suitable level. 

Each child will be issued with a Book Club Card. If they choose to read a book from the recommended read list, they can visit a member of the Senior Leadership Team to receive a stamp on their card. Once have completed their card they will receive a certificate and be able to choose a book form their reading wish list. 

A copy of all of the books are available in the school library. 

The children have really enjoyed diving into the Recommended Reads. They have been sharing their feedback in a variety of ways. 

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free” Frederick Douglass

The staff and children were all inspired by the wonderful writing of Onjali Q. Raúf when reading ‘The boy at the back of the class’. Pupils and staff were privileged to attend a talk she did as part of Refugee Week. Everyone was inspired to help however they could ; the school’s Sustainable Development Goalkeepers planned and ran a cake stall with all proceed going to a local refugee charity. The power of books is truly astounding. 

As part of their legacy, the Year 6 class of 2021 raised money for a book vending machine. Children who consistently show the school values are able to select a book from the vending machine to take home. The books in the machine are carefully chosen and either link to the subjects taught in the children's Learning Journey or their interests. There are a variety of picture books, fiction and non-fiction books available to choose from.