Greenacres Primary Academy

Our Reading Strategy

At Greenacres, we believe that reading is central to all learning. We seek to foster in our children a genuine love of literature and a desire to read for pleasure, educating them to be discriminating and critical readers.

The Greenacres Primary Academy Reading Strategy

Reading is a multi-strategy approach to understanding the written word. It is not simply the decoding of marks on a page but requires us to read with understanding a variety of texts: fiction, non-fiction, real world texts, captions, lists and environmental print. Competence in reading is essential to independent learning therefore it should be given the highest priority by all staff. Success in reading directly correlates with progress in all other areas of the curriculum and is crucial in developing pupil’s self-esteem, motivation and life chances.

Aims

• Provide rich, simulation and high-quality reading environments
• Enable pupils to read with confidence, fluency, accuracy and understanding
• Foster an enthusiasm and passion for reading
• Develop pupil’s comprehension skills of inference and deduction
• Ensure pupils make good progress
• Ensure effective strategies are in place for the bottom 20% to catch up and keep up.

Objectives

• Enable pupils to read for interest and enjoyment
• Read a range of texts including: fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays appropriate to their ability
• Read regularly at school and at home
• Talk confidently and articulately about their reading
• To be able to read and correct their own mistakes
• To be confident when selecting their own reading materials.

Reading Across the Year Groups

In Early Years, the teacher introduces the concept of print and reading through a weekly book focus, individual reading with an adult, story sacks, rhymes and jingles, daily story time, library sessions, role play activities and RWI sessions.

Key Stage One 

In KS1 reading skills are taught through regular shared reading and interactive books, story sessions – reading books together, individual reading with an adult, fiction and non-fiction baskets – personal choice and home-school reading of reading scheme and sharing of chosen library books. Also pupil’s reading skills are developed through daily RWI sessions.

Key Stage Two

In KS2, the progress made in Key Stage One is built upon. The focus is on developing higher order reading skills such as inference and deduction and the ability to read texts critically. Where necessary, specific phonic support is used to develop pupil’s reading skills through the use of interventions. Reading skills are taught through regular shared reading, individual reading with an adult, school library sessions timetabled weekly, home-school reading of reading scheme and chosen library books. Pupils are encouraged to choose books which they are interested in and this helps promote reading for pleasure.

• Pupils learn to read easily and fluently through daily phonics in Early Years and Key Stage One, regular reading to adults in school, reading partners and incentives to read at home.
• Pupils are encouraged to read widely, through our use of differing class texts, library visits and high quality attractive books in classrooms.
• Pupils are encouraged to read for pleasure using quiet reading time, library time and listening to an adult read.
• Pupils also need to read to find information in all lessons and comprehension is assessed in a formal way every term.
• Pupils are exposed to a range of texts during their school career.

 Parents, friends, authors, illustrators and other visitors are welcomed into school to listen to children read, discuss their choices, share their own reading experiences, perform and run workshops.

The school holds an annual Poetry Slam and other whole school reading activities to stimulate the children’s interest in reading.