Reading
Reading lies at the heart of the curriculum at Gatton Primary School. We are dedicated to ensuring our pupils become fluent, confident, lifelong readers. We believe that reading is key, not only for academic success but also for enjoyment.
Teaching children to become fluent readers is a large and exciting part of what we do at Gatton. We aim to provide a literacy-rich environment, high quality texts and inspiring learning opportunities. Above all, we want children to enjoy reading: reading for pleasure and reading to learn, so that pupils are prepared for secondary school and beyond.
Oracy is prioritised in order to build vocabulary and fluency for all learners, from EYFS to Year 6, in order for them to understand more complex texts and form opinions on the types of texts they enjoy reading. Our aim is for all children to achieve their very best and develop a lifelong love of reading whilst developing a deeper level of emotional intelligence and empathy.
How is reading taught?
Early reading is prioritised in EYFS and Key Stage 1. It is underpinned by a coherent and systematic phonics scheme taught daily which allows the children the opportunity to embed the key skills needed to become successful and independent readers later in their education.
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Phonics coverage across the year groups |
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Reception |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Years 3-6 |
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1 x 30-minute daily phonics lesson (grouped by phase across the three-year groups) Phonic sounds weaved throughout the daily all activities within the indoor and outdoor classroom. Phonics taught through 1:1 reading |
1 x 30-minute daily phonics lesson Phonics taught through 1:1 reading in Autumn term. Taught through the guided reading carousel Spring term onwards. Nonsense word flashcards practiced from Spring onwards |
1 x 30-minute lesson per week Taught through guided reading and the weekly spelling focus. |
Taught through guided reading and the weekly spelling focus. Taught through targeted booster sessions where needed. |
As the children move through the later stages of Key Stage 1 and into Key Stage 2, teaching will focus on word reading and comprehension skills. Specific readings skills are actively and consciously taught to support comprehension: questioning, retrieval, summarising, predicting, use of vocabulary and inference. These skills are all vital to promote critical thinking and to allow pupils to encounter a wide-range of authors and a variety of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and other multimedia materials.
In lessons, pupils will complete a range of stimulating and engaging activities to deepen their understanding of the reading skills. To supplement this, each week every pupil will have a discussion-based, small-group comprehension session with the Class Teacher, and guided reading session with the Teaching Assistant.
Reading for pleasure
At Gatton, we encourage all pupils to find pleasure in the books they are reading through a variety of ways:
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each classroom has a wide selection of books which are displayed in attractive and inviting book corners. These books include texts that are linked to other areas of the curriculum including science, geography and history, providing children with the opportunity to apply their reading skills and knowledge across the curriculum. Pupils can borrow these books and take them home. Children are provided with a Reading Record so that parents can take an active part in their children’s reading.
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reading for pleasure is modelled across the school and pupils are read to each day by their class teacher. This can be a book that the teacher recommends to the class or a recommendation from a child.
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frequent visits to the local library provide pupils with valuable experiences and a wider selection of books to choose from. Each class will visit the library on rotations and all pupils hold a membership.
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special events are held throughout the year to celebrate reading: Book Fairs, World Book Week, parent workshops and competitions.