Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement
Intent
Our intent is to ensure that all pupils become confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers who can read for meaning, pleasure and information. In line with the National Curriculum, we aim for pupils to:
- develop strong word reading skills, including decoding through phonics;
- read fluently with accuracy, pace and expression;
- develop comprehension skills to understand, interpret and evaluate a wide range of texts;
- build a lifelong love of reading.
Early reading is prioritised, with a strong emphasis on systematic synthetic phonics to ensure that pupils quickly develop the skills needed to decode unfamiliar words. As pupils progress, they are taught to apply these skills to increasingly complex texts across the curriculum.
Implementation
Reading is taught through:
- a systematic synthetic phonics programme in the Early Years and Key Stage 1 (Floppy’s Phonics), taught daily and matched closely to reading books;
- children in the infants having regular access to our central library to choose a book to take home and share with an adult;
- termly individualised target setting using the Accelerated Reader programme for each of our KS2 pupils, with support being given for pupils falling below their target and a shared celebration as pupils achieve their target;
- regular opportunities for pupils to read aloud and independently;
- regular opportunities for all pupils to listen to stories and non-fiction texts being read aloud to them, including class novels or short story/picture books;
- carefully chosen, high-quality texts that reflect a wide range of genres, authors and cultures;
- explicit teaching of reading comprehension skills, including vocabulary development, retrieval, inference, prediction as well as summarising and sequencing;
- whole-class reading, targeted group reading intervention and one-to-one reading as appropriate;
- regular assessment to ensure pupils receive targeted support or challenge.
Reading is also promoted beyond lessons through reading for pleasure initiatives and access to well-stocked libraries (within class and centrally).
Impact
As a result of our reading provision, we aim for pupils to:
- develop secure decoding skills to enable them to read fluently and accurately;
- demonstrate strong comprehension skills and to discuss texts confidently;
- engage positively with reading and show enjoyment and curiosity about books;
- be well prepared for the reading demands of the wider curriculum and the next stage of education.