Reading at Gleadless 
 

At Gleadless, we believe that reading is one of the most important things a child will learn. It is integral to their understanding of themselves and the world as well as their ability to access the wider curriculum in school. Our pupils learn to identify as readers, with the ability, confidence and desire to read for their own enjoyment and as a means to learn. 

Our reading curriculum is delivered through synthetic phonics, guided reading, English lessons and multiple opportunities for reading for pleasure.

Guided Reading

In FS and KS1, phonics phase books are used in Guided Reading. As the children move off the phonics scheme at end of KS1, teachers plan and deliver reading lessons based on a range of high-quality texts, including fiction (classic and modern, picture books and novels), poetry, and non-fiction. Teachers draw on class readers and core writing texts in these sessions as well as using extracts from longer books.

Fluency, reading with automaticity and expression, is still a core focus in Guided Reading sessions, and children are given regular opportunities to read aloud to each other and their teachers. Comprehension skills such as summarising, questioning, predicting, inferring and clarifying are taught in these lessons. Dialogue in a small group, facilitated and supported by the teacher, is essential to developing these skills, as children learn how to interpret texts and construct their understanding through talk.

Teachers have the opportunity to hear children read and discuss their books every week in Guided Reading sessions. Each session, they record each child’s progress in their class reading folders next to the learning objective. They also observe whether children have been reading at home. They communicate children’s progress and next steps to parents by recording notes in their Reading Diaries each week.. 

Example of a Guided Reading timetable

Reading for Pleasure 

Reading for Pleasure is a priority at Gleadless; books and reading are championed. Children have a timetabled reading for pleasure session at least once a week (20 mins), which is learner-led, informal and social. Teachers engage with students to help them access texts and cultivate their interest in reading. They use their knowledge of pupils and books to provide texts that tempt.  Book corners are attractive and accessible. There are around 50 books in the book corner at a given time and teachers are familiar with all of them so they can help pupils choose books that appeal to their interests. This can include magazines and comics. 

Teachers provide regular opportunities for children to talk about books and recommend their favourite texts to each other. In addition to the scheduled weekly slot, teachers seize spare moments to read a picture book or promote a book that they are introducing to the book corner.  

Teachers read aloud to their class daily in all year groups. From KS1, teachers are reading chapter books and novels, but picture books and poetry are also regularly shared with classes all the way up to Y6. 

Writing 

At Gleadless, we see reading and writing as part of a cohesive English curriculum. Core texts are used as stimuli and models in the writing curriculum. ‘Immersion’ in these books is part of the writing curriculum, and involves discussion of content and analysis of language.

Reading at home

In FS and KS1, two reading books are sent home every week. One of these is a phonics phase book, at an ‘instructional’ level for the individual child (Children should be able to read 96% of the words on the page with relative fluency). The other book, a ‘reading for pleasure’ text should be chosen by the child and can be a book that will be read to them by an adult or carer. 

In KS2, children who have finished the phonics scheme are given the opportunity to choose a new reading book, at an  instructional level for the individual child every week or as and when they need to change their book. Children are also given the opportunity to choose a reading for pleasure text from our school library. 

We recommend that parents read with their child at least four times a week and we advocate that children read in some form everyday.

Author of the Month

Each month, the children in KS1 and KS2 learn about a different author in one of their assemblies. We find out about their life and the different stories and poems they have written.