Reading Intent, Implementation & Impact
Intent
At Ferrars Junior school we want all children to establish an appreciation and love of reading at all stages in their learning journey. We believe that all pupils should have the opportunity to be fluent, confident readers who are able to successfully engage with and understand a wide range of texts across the whole curriculum. Our curriculum is designed so that alongside reading for pleasure , children develop the ability to use their reading skills to research and gather new knowledge and understanding about themselves and the world around them. By the time children reach the end of Year 6 we want them to read fluently and with confidence across all genres so that they are fully prepared to successfully deal with the challenges presented at the next stage in their education.
Implementation
Reading at Ferrars Junior School is carefully planned to achieve the objectives in the national curriculum and teach the children the skills they need to be successful readers, focusing on the reading domains;
- Give and explain the meaning of words in context
- Retrieve and record information. Identify key details from fiction and non-fiction texts
- Summarise the main ideas from more than one paragraph
- Make inferences from the text. Explain and justify their inferences with evidence from the text
- Predict what might happen from details that are stated or implied
- Identify and explain how meaning is enhanced through the choice of words and phrases
- Make comparisons within the text
Each plan states the reading domain focus for that particular lesson. It identifies a fluency starter then outlines discussion points and skill tasks with linked resources to support the learning. As children progress through the school the complexity and length of the high quality fiction and non-fiction texts used increases as does the expectations of the children’s ability to use the reading domains. Ongoing teacher assessment monitors each individuals progress and attainment, which is recorded on our online tracking system (DCPro) twice a term. At the end of each term all children take standardised reading tests that support the moderation and validation of our teacher assessments. Both types of assessments form the basis for our pupil progress meetings which take place twice a term and identify any intervention that might be necessary to support the individual child’s progress and attainment. Children are given regular opportunities to read independently in school and teachers also identify ‘daily readers’ who are listened to reading every day. At Ferrars Junior School we also recognise the importance of children being ‘read to’ and having the opportunity to be able to sit and listen to a ‘storyteller’. Staff read regularly to their class from the ‘class reader’ and use this opportunity to show their passion for books while acting as role models by demonstrating intonation and expression when reading out loud. At Ferrars Junior School we look to work in partnership with our parents/carers and value their support in helping the children practice their reading at home. The expectation is that children read to their parents every day for a minimum of ten minutes. In years 3 and 4 this is recorded in their reading record and in years 5 and 6 it is recorded in their pupil planners.
Although most children when they arrive at Ferrars Junior School have mastered their knowledge of phonics some still need structured teaching. Teachers and teaching assistants involved in teaching phonics have received training in the systematic teaching of synthetic phonics. Ferrars Academy (our feeder school) has recently (February 2022) adopted a new scheme to teach phonics (Monster Phonics) and we have purchased the same scheme along with the associated resources necessary to support a seamless transition in terms of the children’s phonics’ learning.
To support our structured approach to teaching reading and to develop the children’s love of reading we have adopted the Accelerated Reader (AR) programme which is designed to motivate, monitor and manage each child’s independent reading practice. The children are assessed and a range of coded books identified that they will be able to read successfully. They can then choose to read any book within that range. At the end of the book the children take a short quiz which assesses their understanding of what they have read. As the children’s reading ability increases the range of books changes accordingly. Each week at the year group ‘Achievers Assembly’ the class that has read the most words is celebrated and awarded the Ferrars Bear and reading Journal for the week. Each half term at a whole school assembly the class teacher identifies a ‘Star Reader’ who is given a token which they use to select a book from our reading vending machine.
We are fortunate to have a well-stocked school library which is an attractive environment for the children to select books, read, and carry out small group learning activities. As well as housing our coded books for the AR programme, that consists of fiction and non-fiction books, we also have an extensive non-fiction section that supports the teaching and learning of our foundation subjects.
Impact
We believe that reading is the key to all learning and that the impact of our reading curriculum goes beyond the results of statutory assessments. As they move through the school children develop their fluency and comprehension whilst accessing a range of texts with support and independently. Our teacher assessments and termly standardised tests allow us to measure individual progress and attainment. Our pupil progress meetings allow us to identify and implement additional support for those that need it. When they leave us, we want children to possess the reading skills and love of literature which will help them enjoy and access any aspects of learning they encounter in the future.
