English Reading
Intent
At Alkerden, the teaching of reading is at the very heart of our curriculum. We believe that reading is the key to unlocking learning across all subjects and is fundamental in enabling learners to develop knowledge of themselves, their community and the diverse world in which they live. Our intention is for every learner to become a fluent, confident and thoughtful reader who can engage critically with a wide range of texts.
We are committed to ensuring that all learners develop strong early reading skills through the consistent and systematic teaching of phonics using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. This approach ensures that learners build secure decoding skills, enabling them to access the “treasure-house” of reading with increasing independence and confidence.
Our reading curriculum is carefully designed to:
- Develop fluency and decoding skills through high-quality phonics teaching, ensuring that all learners, particularly early readers, can read accurately and automatically.
- Build rich vocabulary and language comprehension through exposure to a broad and diverse range of high-quality texts, including modern and classic literature, non-fiction, poetry, and culturally representative works.
- Teach key comprehension and critical reading skills, including inference, prediction, retrieval, summarising and explanation, enabling learners to understand and interpret increasingly complex texts.
- Expose learners to a wide range of literary challenges, including texts featuring archaic language, non-linear time sequences, complex narratives, symbolic or figurative language and resistant texts, appropriate to each year group.
- Promote reading for pleasure, fostering a lifelong love of reading through engaging experiences, varied genres and opportunities to explore personal interests.
We ensure that learners are given opportunities to read across the curriculum, allowing them to deepen their knowledge in a range of subjects while strengthening their reading skills. Our carefully selected key texts reflect both the realities of our school community and the wider world, promoting inclusivity, diversity and cultural understanding.
Ultimately, our aim is that all learners leave Alkerden as skilled, enthusiastic readers who are equipped to succeed academically and to participate fully in society.
Implementation
Reading is taught through a carefully structured and progressive approach, ensuring that all learners develop the skills needed to become fluent, confident and thoughtful readers.
The teaching of early reading begins in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where learners are introduced to reading through a strong focus on language, communication and early reading behaviours. In Reception, learners begin by sharing wordless books, enabling them to develop key book behaviours, such as understanding how books work, turning pages and developing storytelling through talk. This approach ensures that learners build secure foundations in language comprehension before applying their growing phonic knowledge.
The systematic teaching of phonics is prioritised through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is delivered daily in a consistent and engaging manner throughout EYFS and Year 1. Learners are taught to recognise, blend and segment sounds for reading and spelling, enabling them to develop secure decoding skills. Teaching is carefully sequenced to support the embedding of knowledge into long-term memory.
Assessment is integral to this process. Teachers use both formative and summative assessment to ensure that all learners are supported and challenged effectively. Where learners are identified as not keeping up, timely ‘Keep Up’ interventions are implemented to ensure that gaps are addressed swiftly. Learners who do not meet the expected standard in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check continue to receive targeted support in subsequent year groups.
From Reception and Year 1, learners read fully decodable books from the Collins Big Cat Phonics for Little Wandle scheme. These texts are carefully matched to each learner’s secure phonic knowledge, including tricky words, ensuring that learners can apply their decoding skills with increasing confidence and accuracy. Through regular reading practice, learners develop fluency and begin to build understanding of what they read.
From Year 2, learners continue to build on these foundations through the Little Wandle Fluency Programme, where the focus shifts towards developing automaticity, prosody and deeper comprehension. As learners become more fluent readers, they transition to the Accelerated Reader programme. Books are carefully matched to learners’ reading ability using the Zone of Proximal Development, ensuring appropriate challenge and clear progression.
Across the school, learners are taught to comprehend a wide range of texts through the explicit teaching of key reading skills, including retrieval, inference, prediction, summarising and explanation. Teachers model skilled reading and support learners in engaging with increasingly complex texts, including those that reflect archaic language, non-linear time sequences, complex narratives, figurative language and more resistant themes.
A wide and diverse range of high-quality texts underpins the reading curriculum. Learners are exposed to modern and classic literature, non-fiction, poetry and texts that reflect the realities of their own lives as well as the wider world. This ensures that learners develop a rich vocabulary and a deeper understanding of language.
Opportunities to read for pleasure are prioritised across the school. Learners have access to an inviting library, classroom reading areas and an outdoor reading hut, all of which provide a broad selection of genres and culturally diverse texts. Reading is further promoted through a range of enrichment opportunities, including author visits, storytelling events, shared reading experiences, book fairs and celebrations such as World Book Day.
Reading is most successful when it is supported beyond the classroom, and we actively encourage a strong partnership with parents and carers. Regular reading at home plays a vital role in developing fluency, confidence and enjoyment and we expect that learners read frequently outside of school. Carefully matched texts and guidance are provided to support this, ensuring consistency between home and school and enabling learners to make the best possible progress in their reading journey.
Through this cohesive and carefully implemented approach, learners are supported to become confident, fluent readers who develop a lifelong love of reading and are able to access the full curriculum.
Impact
By the time our learners leave Alkerden Primary Phase, they will be fluent, confident and reflective readers who are able to engage with a wide range of texts with understanding and enjoyment. High-quality phonics teaching will ensure that learners make strong progress from their starting points and this secure foundation will be built upon as they move through the school.
Our learners will read with accuracy, expression and comprehension, applying a range of strategies such as inference, prediction, retrieval and summarising to support their understanding of increasingly complex texts. They will demonstrate resilience and independence when approaching challenging material, including texts with complex language, structure and themes.
Learners will develop a rich and varied vocabulary through exposure to high-quality literature and will use this to deepen their understanding across the curriculum. They will be motivated to read and will show curiosity in exploring a wide range of texts and genres, including poetry. Learners will confidently discuss books, recommend texts to their peers and evaluate an author’s use of language, recognising the impact this can have on the reader.
Reading will be used purposefully to enhance learners’ knowledge and understanding across all areas of the curriculum, as well as to develop their awareness of their community and the diverse world in which they live. Learners will demonstrate a genuine love of reading and will choose to read for pleasure both in and beyond the classroom.
Ultimately, our learners will leave Alkerden as competent, enthusiastic readers who are well-prepared for the next stage of their education and equipped to succeed in the wider world.
English Reading Across the Stages
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, reading is carefully developed through daily phonics teaching using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, ensuring that learners build secure early decoding skills. Learners read fully decodable books that are closely matched to their phonic knowledge, allowing them to apply what they have been taught with confidence and accuracy. Structured reading practice sessions focus on developing decoding, early fluency through prosody, and basic comprehension, providing a strong foundation for future reading success.
Key Stage 1 (Years 1-2)
Reading continues to be developed through daily phonics teaching using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, ensuring that learners become increasingly secure in their decoding skills. Learners read fully decodable books that are carefully matched to their phonic knowledge, enabling them to read with growing accuracy and confidence. Structured reading practice sessions focus on developing fluency through prosody, alongside building comprehension through discussion and questioning, so that learners not only read words accurately but also understand and enjoy what they read.
Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6)
In Key Stage 2, reading is developed through a continued focus on fluency, comprehension and a deeper engagement with texts. Learners who require further support continue to access targeted phonics through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised ‘Rapid Keep Up’ interventions, ensuring that gaps in decoding are addressed swiftly. Where appropriate, learners also take part in the Little Wandle Fluency Programme, which supports the development of automaticity, prosody and reading confidence.
Alongside this, reading is closely linked to writing through a Read into Writing approach, where high-quality texts are used as the foundation for learning. Learners explore vocabulary, authorial intent and language structures in depth, enabling them to develop both their comprehension and their ability to write effectively for a range of purposes. Through whole-class reading and discussion, learners build skills in inference, retrieval and critical thinking, allowing them to engage with increasingly complex texts with understanding and confidence.
Reading Culture & Enrichment
We believe that reading should be more than a lesson, it should be a lived experience and joy. At Alkerden we will:
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Promote reading for pleasure through school libraries, reading corners, and regular reading time embedded into the day.
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Include a diverse range of literature: from traditional tales and classic stories, to contemporary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, myths, multicultural stories, reflecting our learners’ world and expanding their horizons.
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Celebrate reading through events: reading-for-pleasure days, story-sharing, poetry recitals, author or storyteller visits (or virtual equivalents), reading challenges, book clubs, and opportunities for learners to recommend books to each other.
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Encourage learners to view themselves as readers: empowering them to choose texts, explore tastes, reflect on their reading, discuss with peers, cultivating lifelong reading habits, not just academic reading.
Inclusion & Support
At Alkerden, we recognise that learners come with differing starting points. We ensure reading is accessible and inclusive:
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Learners needing extra support receive timely interventions, especially within phonics or early reading stages. Phonics programmes and reading materials are adapted as needed.