Our Intent

“Reading brings knowledge and knowledge is power; therefore, reading is power. The power to know and learn and understand . . . but also the power to dream. Stories inspire us to reach high, love deep, change the world and be more than we ever thought
we could.”
Emma Chase

Intent
At St John’s we believe that reading is the key to success which opens doors to a world of knowledge. It is central to general progress and developing an understanding across the curriculum. As such, the teaching of reading is given a high priority at the heart of our curriculum.

Our aim is for all pupils, irrespective of their needs, abilities or background, to learn to read fluently and with understanding through a variety of discreet and cross-curricular learning opportunities. We aim to meet, and where possible exceed the expectations in the Early Learning Goals and the National Curriculum with progress being rapid and sustained throughout school. Once pupils can decode effectively, we aim to build word recognition and develop comprehension skills in order to produce secure, confident and independent readers who enjoy and understand the benefits of reading.

Implementation
A recent review of research (Castles, Rastle and Nation 2018) synthesised over 300 studies to highlight best practice: a phonics-based approach to help the children crack the ‘alphabetic code’; immersion in text to develop word recognition skills; and the influence of knowledge, processing and cognition on wider comprehension.

The development of reading cannot be seen is isolation from writing, speaking and listening. The direct teaching of reading starts with oracy and phonics. We follow the Letters and Sound Programme and pupils read books which have been carefully matched to their phonic knowledge. Pupils have a daily phonics lessons which incorporates speaking, listening and spelling activities. This is complemented by shared reading experiences that expose them to a wide range of vocabulary, syntax and sentence structure along with structured comprehension activities.

By KS2 we expect that all pupils are ready for daily whole class guided reading sessions which focus on the development of vocabulary and a range of specific reading skills through immersion in a wide range of texts. Class novels provide a stimulus for deeper thinking and links to fiction and non-fiction support the development of contextual and general knowledge.

Pupils will experience a structured journey through a range of banded books and move toward greater independence it their choice of reading material by the end of Y3. It is the expectation that every child should read at home daily.

Furthermore, writing lessons are based on the Talk4Writing approach using model texts to support word and sentence level and include activities to further develop comprehension and understanding.

We promote reading for pleasure as this in itself plays a major role in reading development and promoting reading in this way provides a creative outlet and an alternative to digital distractions that may impact on personal wellbeing. Teachers act as role models in their enthusiasm for reading and all classes will be read to every day.

Impact
By the time children leave St John’s, the vast majority 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. Our aim is for the vast majority to achieve ARE with a significant number reaching greater depth in order to be ready for the next phase of their education.

“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”
John Keating