Early reading

“The programmes of study for reading at key stages 1 and 2 consist of two dimensions:

• word reading
• comprehension (both listening and reading).

It is essential that teaching focuses on developing pupils’ competence in both dimensions; different kinds of teaching are needed for each. Skilled word reading involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Underpinning both is the understanding that the letters on the page represent the sounds in spoken words. This is why phonics should be emphasised in the early teaching of reading to beginners (i.e. unskilled readers) when they start school.”

Our school is committed to ensuring that every pupil learns to read, regardless of their background, needs, or abilities. In our Footsteps provision, we believe that early reading is a foundational skill that supports communication, independence, and lifelong learning. Read Write Inc is fully inclusive of pre-verbal children, ensuring they can access and participate in early phonics learning through tailored, developmentally appropriate approaches.

The school’s phonics programme meets, and in some areas exceeds, the expectations set out in the English National Curriculum and the Early Learning Goals. There are clear, term-by-term expectations for pupils’ phonics progress from Reception to Year 2, and the school’s chosen programme aligns fully with these milestones. The progression of reading books follows a carefully sequenced, cumulative structure in phonics knowledge, closely matched to the school’s phonics programme, Read Write Inc.

Pupils’ phonics progress is assessed regularly and in enough detail to quickly identify anyone who is not keeping up. This allows targeted support to be put in place straight away. Staff have strong, secure expertise in phonics and early reading, ensuring consistent teaching across all year groups. Reading, including the systematic teaching of synthetic phonics, begins from the very start of the EYFS. Teachers have a clear understanding of how children learn to read and apply this knowledge in their teaching. Pupils are given plenty of opportunities to practise reading books that are carefully matched to the grapheme–phoneme correspondences they have learned, both in school and at home. Staff regularly read aloud a wide range of stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction texts to enrich pupils’ vocabulary, develop their language comprehension and foster a love of reading.

Whole School Reading and Reading for Pleasure.

“Good comprehension draws from linguistic knowledge (in particular of vocabulary and grammar) and on knowledge of the world. 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. All pupils must be encouraged to read widely across both fiction and non-fiction to develop their knowledge of themselves and the world they live in, to establish an appreciation and love of reading, and to gain knowledge across the curriculum. Reading widely and often increases pupils’ vocabulary because they encounter words they would rarely hear or use in everyday speech. Reading also feeds pupils’ imagination and opens up a treasure house of wonder and joy for curious young minds.”

Our school places a strong emphasis on developing a rich reading culture. Reading is central to the curriculum, with English lessons built around high‑quality children’s literature. Spoken language, reading, and writing are closely connected to help pupils grow in confidence across all learning. Children engage in reading every day, whether individually, in pairs, in groups, or as a whole class. The reading curriculum develops both decoding skills and comprehension, with a focus on VIPERS strategies (Vocabulary, Infer, Predict, Explain, Retrieve and Summarise). Lessons provide regular opportunities for discussion, sharing opinions and responding to texts. Children are taught a range of reading strategies, including phonics, grammar knowledge, word recognition and understanding context. The overall aim is for all pupils to become fluent, independent, enthusiastic and thoughtful readers across a wide range of genres.

Fluent readers are more likely to enjoy books, encounter richer vocabulary and sentence structures, and develop a broader understanding of the world. Reading also builds empathy, opens up new experiences and is essential for academic success. Our aim is to teach children to read with fluency and understanding, while fostering a genuine love of reading. Promoting reading for pleasure is vital because it not only strengthens children’s literacy and vocabulary, but also boosts their creativity, improves wellbeing, and fosters a lifelong love of reading that extends far beyond the classroom.