Reading: Beyond Phonics

At our school, we aim to foster a lifelong love of reading while developing critical comprehension skills. Reading lessons are carefully structured to engage, challenge, and inspire pupils while ensuring inclusivity and promoting meaningful connections to other areas of learning.

All reading lessons are delivered to the whole class using high-quality, carefully selected texts. These texts are chosen for their richness in language, vocabulary, and meaning and reflect our diverse community. Whenever possible, texts are linked to other areas of learning, such as the class novel or the current topic, to deepen understanding and create meaningful cross-curricular connections.

Discussion is a cornerstone of our reading lessons, with “book talk” forming an essential part of every session. This dialogue is exploratory and open-ended, encouraging pupils to share their thoughts and interpretations without the fear of being “wrong.” Book talk helps pupils:

• Explore the meanings of new and challenging words.
• Think critically and articulate ideas using rich and varied language.
• Develop proficiency across the six key reading skills outlined in our “Reading Rainbow”: clarify, question, predict, summarise, connect, and illustrate.

Assessment is woven seamlessly into every lesson through pupil talk, questioning, and written responses. Tools such as whiteboards, post-its, and exercise books capture pupils’ understanding and provide valuable insight into their progress.

By combining a thoughtful selection of texts, engaging activities, and a focus on key skills, our approach ensures that every child is supported in becoming a confident, thoughtful, and enthusiastic reader.