Nursery 

At Greenwood Primary School, we nurture a love of books from the very beginning of a child’s learning journey. In Nursery, children experience a wide range of high-quality texts through regular group story times, as well as exciting opportunities to explore and enjoy books independently and alongside their peers and adults. Children are encouraged to talk about and share their favourite stories, poems, rhymes and songs, developing their language, vocabulary and enjoyment of books. These experiences are also incorporated into children’s play and learning across the provision.

During the Summer Term, children will also begin participating in regular phonics sessions using the Read Write Inc. (RWI) Phonics programme, which is used throughout Key Stage 1 at Greenwood Primary School. These sessions will provide children with a gentle introduction to phonics, helping them to develop an awareness of sounds, oral blending and the early skills they will need as they progress into Reception and beyond.

Reception

In reception pupils are given regular opportunities to explore and enjoy a wide range of high-quality texts within the classroom and beyond. Whole-class story sessions, daily book sharing and quiet reading opportunities help to develop a love of books and reading. Pupils are encouraged to apply their growing phonics knowledge to decode words, including making and reading simple words, and to develop an understanding that words carry meaning.

Pupils are provided with decodable Read Write Inc. (RWI) books, carefully matched to the sounds and words they have been taught in their phonics sessions. These books are shared and read regularly, allowing pupils to practise their decoding skills and develop confidence and fluency when reading independently.

At Greenwood, we are also part of Drawing Club, which provides an exciting and creative approach to developing a love of stories and books. Through Drawing Club, pupils engage deeply with carefully selected texts, characters and story worlds, using drawing, talk and imagination to explore and respond to what they have heard. This helps to foster a genuine enjoyment of stories while developing pupils’ vocabulary, comprehension, creativity and communication skills.

Throughout child-initiated learning, pupils have access to inviting book areas where they can explore books of their own choosing, independently or alongside their peers and adults. Stories, songs and rhymes are shared regularly, with pupils encouraged to talk about, retell and re-enact familiar stories within their play. These experiences help to develop pupils’ confidence, imagination and enthusiasm for reading, laying strong foundations for their continued reading journey.

Key Stage 1

Reading in Key Stage 1 is primarily taught through one-hour Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics sessions each morning. These sessions provide pupils with a systematic approach to developing their phonics knowledge, decoding skills, reading fluency and comprehension. Pupils read carefully matched decodable RWI texts, giving them regular opportunities to apply the sounds and words they have been taught and develop confidence and accuracy when reading.

In addition to the daily phonics sessions, pupils are provided with regular opportunities to read throughout the school day. Reading is embedded across the curriculum, with pupils encountering and discussing a range of high-quality fiction and non-fiction texts. Within Writing lessons, pupils engage with a carefully selected class book, which provides opportunities to develop vocabulary, comprehension, discussion and a deeper understanding of different authors, texts and genres.

Teachers model fluent and expressive reading regularly, supporting pupils to develop appropriate pace, phrasing, expression and understanding. Pupils are given opportunities to practise their reading skills collaboratively and independently, as well as applying their phonics knowledge when reading unfamiliar words.

Across the classroom, pupils have access to inviting and stimulating book areas, with opportunities to explore books linked to their interests and current learning. Pupils are encouraged to develop a love of reading through regular story sharing, discussion and opportunities to recommend and talk about books. These experiences, alongside the systematic teaching of phonics, support pupils in becoming confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers.

Key Stage 2

In Key Stage 2 at Greenwood Primary School, pupils take part in four 45-minute reading sessions each week, following the VIPERS reading approach from The Literacy Shed. Reading lessons have clear learning intentions and focus on developing pupils’ understanding and application of key reading skills: Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Summarising.

A particular focus within our reading curriculum is vocabulary development. Pupils are explicitly taught the meaning of new and unfamiliar vocabulary and are encouraged to explore words in context, make links between words and develop strategies for working out meaning independently. This supports pupils in developing a rich and varied vocabulary which they can apply across their reading and wider curriculum learning.

Pupils experience a wide range of high-quality texts, including picture books, chapter books, fiction and non-fiction, covering a variety of genres, themes and topics. Texts are carefully selected and matched to pupils’ year-group reading levels, with appropriate support and challenge provided to ensure that all pupils can access and engage with the text successfully.

Throughout the week, pupils have opportunities to listen to their teacher read, read independently, read aloud and work collaboratively within groups. They develop their understanding of texts through discussion and by answering comprehension questions linked to the book they are reading, as well as responding to unseen or similar texts. Pupils are encouraged to justify their ideas using evidence from the text and develop increasingly well-reasoned responses as they progress through Key Stage 2.

Alongside their structured reading lessons, pupils have regular opportunities to read for pleasure. Class libraries and the school library provide access to a wide range of books, enabling pupils to explore different authors, genres and texts and to develop their own interests as readers. Teachers also promote a love of reading through regular story-sharing and opportunities for pupils to hear and discuss high-quality texts.

Reading Fluency 

Across Greenwood Primary School, children take part in regular reading fluency lessons to help them become confident, accurate and expressive readers.
 

Fluent reading means being able to read accurately and smoothly, with appropriate pace, phrasing and expression, while also understanding what is being read. Developing fluency helps children to move beyond focusing on decoding every individual word so that they can concentrate more fully on understanding and enjoying the text.
 

There are several simple ways that reading fluency can be supported both at school and at home:~
 

• Be read aloud to: All children benefit from hearing adults read regularly. This allows them to hear what fluent, expressive reading sounds like and helps them to develop an understanding of pace, phrasing and expression.
   
• Try assisted reading: Children can read a text while listening to an adult read the same text fluently. This gives them a model to follow and helps them to develop confidence when reading aloud.
   
• Practise repeated reading: Children can read the same text more than once. Each time they revisit it, their accuracy, confidence and fluency can improve. Familiarity with the text allows children to focus increasingly on expression and meaning.
   
• Talk about what you have read: Discussing the text, unfamiliar vocabulary, characters, events and ideas helps children to develop both their fluency and their understanding.
   

Regular reading at home, alongside the fluency opportunities provided in school, will help children to develop into confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers.

Reading Records

At Greenwood Primary School, we want to encourage children to develop a lifelong love of reading, both at school and at home. From Years 3–6, children will have a yellow Reading Record to help us work together with families to support their reading journey.

Children will read with a member of staff in school and will be matched with a reading book that is appropriate for both their year group and individual reading level. They will then bring this book home to enjoy reading for 20 minutes each day with an adult.

We encourage adults to read the book alongside their child wherever possible. This gives children the opportunity to practise their reading, discuss what they have read, explore new vocabulary and ask questions if they are unsure about anything. Talking about the story and characters is just as valuable as reading the words!

We ask that an adult records a short comment in the Reading Record to share how the child has found their reading. This helps us to understand how children are progressing and provides a lovely opportunity for communication between home and school.

Please remember to bring the reading book and Reading Record back into school regularly so that the book can be changed when appropriate and your child can choose their next book. We look forward to working together to help every child become a confident, enthusiastic reader.