ENGLISH – READING 

Why do we teach what we teach? (Our intent)

At Oak Green, we believe that reading strengthens our ability to think, communicate and make connections with the wider world. It also provides opportunities to explore a plethora of worlds, developing our imagination and expanding our vocabulary. Reading allows children to develop an understanding of others and to build empathy. They are able to explore different perspectives and gain a deeper understanding for characters that they might not have otherwise understood.

At Oak Green, we use books to support children with their emotional wellbeing and through times of adversity as part of our nurturing approach. As part of our commitment to inclusion, we have a multitude of books addressing various issues that children can find a shared understanding, comfort, solace and resolutions in.

We value reading as a vital tool in accessing information and gaining new knowledge. As a result, books are used across the curriculum as points of reference and research. Children understand the range of purposes that books offer, whether it be entertainment or information.

We aim to develop passionate readers who choose to read for a variety of purposes; have an understanding of rich and varied language and can evaluate and critique what they have read. Through exploring a breadth of genres, we enable our students to achieve their best within the National Curriculum and our wider curriculum offer such as exploring the historical and cultural context of literature. We ensure that our pupils are immersed in a wealth of texts, as well as the experiences that support their understanding of such texts, thus developing their reading skills. We ensure that our reading supports the needs and diversity of the community that we serve and regularly review and adapt our delivery of reading to ensure that it is effective and engaging for all our students. Our aim is for pupils to leave Oak Green as competent readers, equipped with the necessary skills to tackle new and challenging texts and with a passion for reading. We remain ambitious in our commitment to ensuring that all children reach their full potential and go on to become lifelong readers.

 How do we teach it? (Our implementation)

From Early Years to Year 2, pupils receive daily phonics lessons based on the Read, Write Inc. programme. This phonic development program builds on pupils’ knowledge to ensure that they are able to read with greater fluency and understanding. In EYFS, children engage with stories daily through Talk Through Stories.

From Year 1 to Year 6, the speedy recognition of words and decoding of unfamiliar words, as well as the strategies for understanding a text are explicitly taught in a weekly comprehension lesson.

Comprehension skills develop through pupils’ experience of high-quality discussion with the teacher, as well as from reading and discussing a range of stories, poems and non-fiction texts that have been mapped against each year group.

The children also make connections between texts and their own experiences. We use questioning to ensure pupils reach age-related expectations, and beyond, and that they are well-challenged.

In Key Stage 2, children receive three whole class reading sessions a week using FRED’s teaching. They also receive one Book Talk session a week to ignite a love of reading and deeper understanding of texts, as well as one Prosody session to teach children how to read with fluency and expression.

To establish an appreciation and love of reading, and to gain knowledge across the curriculum, each year group has a core set of carefully selected texts that can be used as inspiration for writing. All children are encouraged to read widely across both fiction and non-fiction to develop their knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live. They are regularly encouraged to share their recommendations with the class and wider school community. Staff create a sense of awe and wonder through memorable and immersive experiences to lunch the start of reading a new text.

What is the difference that this makes? (Our impact)

When pupils leave Oak Green, they will have been exposed to a wealth of immersive opportunities linked to a wide range of texts, allowing them to develop their reading skills. Exposure to rich and varied language enables pupils to move into the wider world being able to express themselves through a range of media. Through reading, children have developed their emotional intelligence and imaginative skills whilst building their understanding of the world around them. Pupils are passionate about reading and achieve well, following the National Curriculum and the wider Oak Green curriculum.