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Reading

Our Reading Vision: Fluent, Confident Learners

At Holland Park, we are committed to ensuring all pupils become fluent, confident readers who can successfully comprehend a wide range of texts. Our intention is for every child to:

  • Develop a pleasure and appreciation for reading.

  • Gain knowledge about the world and across the curriculum.

  • Be able to read fluently and with confidence in preparation for secondary school.

We provide vocabulary-rich reading material across the entire curriculum to support this goal.

 

How Reading Is Taught 

Reading instruction is delivered systematically, starting with phonics and progressing through whole-class skills development.

Phonics (Early Years & KS1)

  • Programme: We use Read Write Inc. (RWI), a systematic synthetic phonics programme, to teach the relationship between sounds and written spelling patterns (graphemes).

  • Instruction: Phonics is taught in group lessons that match the child's current ability level.

  • Assessment: Pupils undertake the Phonics Screening Check in Year 1. Those who need extra support continue with targeted interventions and are retested in Year 2.

  • Home Reading: Children on the RWI programme take home a 'book bag book' that is directly matched to their current phonics level.

Reading Comprehension (KS2 & Post-Phonics)

  • Whole Class Sessions: From Year 2 onwards (or after completing RWI), reading is taught in whole-class sessions three times a week (30 minutes each).

  • Key Skills: These sessions focus on developing the VIPERS reading skills:

    • Vocabulary

    • Inference

    • Prediction

    • Explanation

    • Retrieval

    • Summarising

  • Fluency: Children continuously develop their reading fluency skills—the ability to read quickly and accurately.

  • Targeted Support: Teachers and teaching assistants provide support through targeted conversations and modelling to challenge all learners at an age-appropriate level.

  • Reading Scheme: Children move from phonics-matched books to a school reading scheme of leveled books matched to their reading ability.

Reading at Home

  • Encouragement: Reading at home is strongly encouraged through class incentives and parental engagement sessions.

  • 'Lucky Listener': In Years 1–6, children receive a new text every fortnight as their ‘lucky listener’, encouraging them to read the text to as many family members as possible.

Expected Outcomes 

  • End of KS1: Children will be fluent and confident word readers due to the systematic teaching of phonics.
  • End of Primary School (Year 6): Children will be fluent, confident, and able readers who can:
    • Access a range of texts for pleasure and enjoyment.
    • Use their reading skills to unlock learning in all areas of the curriculum.

 

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