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Reading

Reading: an amazing window on the world (through time and place) and is a key doorway to success. As we read this information with seeming effortlessness, we are enacting one of the greatest inventions and achievements in human history. We are passionate about its importance and enabling every child to have access to this world of wonder and information. 

 

For us, it is important that the children develop fluency and understanding, which means they can read to learn and will choose to read for pleasure. 

Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

Competent and fluent readers have a firm foundation to go on and learn independently and build on what they know, adding more information and ideas to their thinking, developing their knowledge, values and beliefs. It also enables them to be successful in their academic studies, which allows them to go on and live happy, healthy and successful lives. 

“Reading for pleasure is more important for children's cognitive development than their parents' level of education and is a more powerful factor in life achievement than socio-economic background.”  Sullivan and Brown (2013) Social inequalities in cognitive scores at age 16: The role of reading.

In order to achieve this, at Parkfields, we employ a range of strategies to help us make this a reality in every child/young person’s life. 

All staff are responsible for the development of reading skills and there is a focus on vocabulary and reading across the curriculum. We are also able to share our love of reading and seek to introduce the children to challenging but engaging texts in all subjects, giving them the opportunity to retrieve and respond to this material in a safe and thoughtful environment.

Whole School Reading Approaches:

Aim / Intent Approach / Implementation Impact
Access reading texts that are challenging but support and develop language acquisition and general knowledge.

  • Staff reading books aloud to pupils during PDT in the afternoon - at least one afternoon a week;

  • Staff share what they are reading via the ‘Miss Cooper is reading…/ 6 Beech is reading…’ posters;

  • Staff reading challenging texts aloud in lessons;

  • Pupils choosing more challenging texts to read for pleasure; 

  • Pupils able to access the texts in lessons to enable them to ‘read to learn’;

  • Pupils are able to discuss and develop their thinking based on what they have read.
Deepen and widen knowledge of challenging vocabulary through the teaching of latin and greek word roots, allowing access to more challenging texts across the curriculum.

  • Teacher training and understanding of word roots, the different tiers of vocabulary and the strategies for closing the vocabulary gap; 

  • Programme of Latin and Greek word roots ‘Building Vocabulary’ during PDT in the afternoon - one afternoon a week; 

  • Training of staff and pupils in disciplinary literacy and key/subject-specific vocabulary (tier 3) identified in curriculum overviews and plans;

  • Pupils able to explain the meaning of key Latin and Greek roots and give examples of words that use these roots; 

  • Pupils are able to recognise the key roots used in context and deduce the meaning of the unknown word; 

  • Pupils enjoy playing with words and manipulating words across the curriculum.
Develop access to good reading material for all pupils.

  • Develop the range of reading material available to children and staff in the library; 

  • Support regular access to the library to all: lunchtimes and lessons; 

  • Books available in classrooms and subject areas to promote a diverse range of reading material for all; 

  • Use of online resources and carefully curated information on a wide range of topics; 

  • Develop a bank of ‘regular reads’ carefully curated to support learning across the whole curriculum and available at home and in school; 

  • Share ‘recommended reads’ through the Welcome Slides, newsletters, digital signage, newsletters and displays;

  • Use of library software to track what is being read and with what frequency across the school.

  • Increased use of the library at all times of the day: curriculum time and break and lunch times; 

  • Raised awareness of how and what you read in different disciplines; 

  • Pupils celebrating what they are reading and sharing their successes and discoveries.
Identify gaps in phonics / decoding knowledge and support with relevant interventions.

  • ‘GL/NGST/NGRT/YARC’ and ‘Speech and Language Link’ assessments to identify the need and issues; 

  • ‘Speech and Language Link’ interventions used to support the children with their identified needs; 

  • Use of ‘Rising Stars’ spelling programme in KS2 to support pupil knowledge of the sound / spelling correspondences.

  • Pupils making rapid progress in phonics so they are able to access age and stage appropriate texts; 

  • Increased accuracy in reading aloud and spelling; 

  • Increased outcomes in Spelling scores at Key Stage 2 and NGRT’.
Identify gaps in reading fluency and reading comprehension and support with relevant interventions.

  • Use YARC assessments to identify need; 

  • Run ‘reading fluency’ groups for pupils who need fluency and comprehension focus to improve and access texts;

  • Echo reading strategies employed in lessons across the curriculum;

  • Use tutoring and interventions to support identified children;

  • Mixed ability groups for ‘literacy’ subjects to support pupils in accessing and developing comprehension and fluency;

  • Increased scores in YARC tests; 

  • Increased confidence and fluency for all pupils, especially those involved in the interventions; 

  • Increased scores / improved outcomes in reading at KS2, PTE, NGRT and across the curriculum in subject outcomes.
Identify gaps in comprehension and ability to deduce and infer meaning from what is being read.
  • Quizzing and comprehension of more complex texts across the curriculum, based on ‘regular reads’;
  
Extend the range of text types they encountered and engage with in their reading and learning journey.

  • Identified texts included in curriculum plans and resources and available on Google Classroom; 

  • Use of homework and ‘flipped learning’ to allow pupils time to engage with longer and more complex texts and use lesson time to review and deepen understanding.

  • Greater stamina and resilience of pupils when they are faced with longer / more challenging texts across the curriculum; 

  • Have strategies from vocabulary work and discussions to consolidate and extend prior knowledge in the curriculum.

 

Reading at Parkfields

Our aim at Parkfields is that all pupils become fluent readers, who enjoy reading for pleasure and are able to comfortably comprehend challenging texts across the curriculum.

The key elements of the curriculum in practice are:

  • to read challenging texts
  • to close-read texts so pupils understand the author’s craft
  • to read lots of quality non-fiction- linked with the core texts and the wider curriculum
  • to write regularly in direct response to reading
  • to allow pupils to regularly read aloud, to be read to, and to read independently
  • the implicit and explicit teaching of tier two vocabulary
  • the use of poetry and short stories alongside the core curriculum of full texts
  • to develop a love of independent reading for pleasure
  • to intervene quickly and effectively for any pupils who have gaps in decoding or comprehension skills.

Photo by Laura Kapfer on Unsplash

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Core Strands of the Parkfields Reading Policy

1. Reading Spine

Decoding and Fluency are important but after that reading ‘skills’ are not necessarily universally applicable. We aim to systematically introduce ways to overcome specific challenges posed by different kinds of text

  • Archaic texts (AT) - we practise reading older texts in a steady, intentional and especially incremental way.
  • Non-Linear time sequences (NL) - we look deliberately at texts which do not follow a chronological pattern and increase the complexity of this across the school.
  • Complexity of narrator (CN) - we look specifically at texts with multiple narrators and unreliable narrators.
  • Complexity of plot (CP) - we look to increase the cognitive challenge of the plots involved in the novels we read:

 

 

Cogston House (CP)

Private Peaceful (NL, CP)

Midsummer Night’s Dream (AT, CP)

Greek Myths & Fables (AT, CP)

A Christmas Carol (AT, NL)

Goodnight Mr Tom (AT, PC)

I am Malala (CN)

The Signalman (AT, NL, CP)

The Monkey’s Paw (NL, AT)

Beowulf (AT)

2. Reading Comprehension Skills

There are three main strands to our teaching of reading comprehension: Reading for meaning and inference; Reading for Evaluation; Language and Whole texts.

Our learning journey as a whole works from the foundations of decoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and inference.

 As we move into KS3 this would then develop into thematic considerations of a text; identifying the writer’s intentions and their effect on the reader; close analysis of language and structural choices - an awareness of the ‘author’s craft’

3. Reading for Pleasure

  •           At least one half-hour PDT session a week where pupils are read to from a challenging text.
  • The school library is open daily. Pupils can borrow both fiction and non-fiction books. They can discuss their reading with an adult.
  • KS3 English homework revolves around reading.
  • Parental involvement projects to get parents reading with children.
  • Reading Mentors - KS3 pupils reading with and to KS2 pupils

5. Assessment of Reading

  •           GL external summative examinations - externally marked tests twice each year, which give comparable outcomes from Y5 baseline to the end of Y8. Results are broken down into curriculum areas so strengths and weakness can be easily monitored.
  • GL Spelling & Reading Age Tests - use of reading age tests to monitor which pupils may need support and to ascertain if this support has been effective.
  • Teacher Assessment of reading on a termly basis

6. Vocabulary - Implicit and Explicit Instruction

  •          All schemes of work begin with explicit vocabulary lists that should be taught in the context of the unit. Lessons begin with explicit teaching of vocabulary to be encountered. Vocabulary is then discussed while reading. Development of vocabulary is the foundation of all our teaching of reading.
  • Learning reviews at the beginning of lessons are mainly vocabulary-based.
  • Challenging vocabulary across the curriculum. The introduction and explicit teaching of key words in foundation subjects

7. Interventions to address gaps

  •           Systematic phonics programme, led by our assistant SENDCO and our TA team. Timetabled phonics sessions with all pupils who have difficulties with basic decoding of words.
  • Reading Fluency - an award-winning project from Herts for Learning, involving echo reading and small group guided comprehension work.
  • Booster reading sessions - we employ a qualified member of teaching staff for two full days each week to support small-groups of pupils in all year groups to bridge gaps in reading.
  • Diagnostic Dyslexia and Speech and Language screening in school.