Our reading curriculum is built on the strongest available evidence about how children learn to read. We recognise that skilled reading depends on two equally important strands:

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• Word recognition – decoding words accurately and fluently.

• Language comprehension – understanding, interpreting and responding to what is read.

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Through carefully sequenced teaching from Nursery to Year 6, we ensure that every child develops both strands successfully, enabling them to move from learning to read to reading to learn.

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Our Reading Vision

We want every child to leave Woodseaves as:

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• A fluent and confident reader.

• An enthusiastic reader who chooses to read for pleasure.

• A thoughtful reader who can analyse, question and evaluate texts.

• A knowledgeable learner with a rich vocabulary.

• A lifelong reader who understands the value and enjoyment of books.

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Early Reading and Phonics

Learning to read begins long before children encounter books independently.

In Nursery, children develop the essential foundations for future reading through:

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• Listening and attention.

• Environmental sounds.

• Rhythm and rhyme.

• Alliteration.

• Oral blending and segmenting.

• Vocabulary development.

• Stories, songs and nursery rhymes.

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As children move into Reception and Key Stage 1, they follow Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, a Department for Education validated systematic synthetic phonics programme.

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Children are taught daily to:

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• Recognise grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs).

• Blend sounds to read words.

• Segment words for spelling.

• Read common exception words.

• Apply phonics automatically and accurately.

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Teaching follows a carefully sequenced progression from simple to more complex patterns, ensuring new knowledge is practised, revisited and committed to long-term memory.

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Rapid Support for Children Who Need It

We believe that every child can become a successful reader.

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Children who are not keeping up with the programme receive immediate additional support through Little Wandle keep-up sessions. These targeted interventions are delivered promptly so that misconceptions are addressed quickly and children remain on track with their peers.

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No child is left to struggle with reading.

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Reading Practice Sessions

Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 take part in regular reading practice sessions using fully decodable books that are closely matched to the phonics they have already been taught.

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These sessions focus on three key areas:

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Decoding

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Children apply their phonic knowledge to read words accurately and confidently.

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Fluency

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Children develop automaticity so that reading becomes increasingly effortless and smooth.

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Comprehension

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Children discuss the meaning of texts and demonstrate understanding of what they have read.

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Repeated reading allows children to become confident, successful readers who can focus on understanding rather than simply working out words.

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Reading Fluency: The Bridge to Understanding

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Reading fluency is one of the most important stages in becoming a skilled reader.

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Research shows that children must be able to read:

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• Accurately.

• Automatically.

• At an appropriate pace.

• With expression and meaning.

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Across the school, children develop fluency through:

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• Teacher modelling.

• Echo reading.

• Choral reading.

• Repeated reading.

• Poetry recital.

• Reader's theatre.

• Performance reading.

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By Key Stage 2, most children read automatically and fluently, allowing teaching to focus increasingly on vocabulary, comprehension and critical thinking. Pupils who require additional support continue to receive targeted intervention.

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Reading Comprehension

Once children can read fluently, their attention can be devoted fully to understanding what they read.

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Our reading curriculum teaches six key areas of comprehension:

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Retrieval

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Finding and recording information from fiction and non-fiction texts.

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Inference

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Using evidence to understand characters' thoughts, feelings, motives and actions.

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Prediction

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Using clues and evidence to anticipate what may happen next.

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Vocabulary

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Exploring the meaning of words and understanding how language contributes to meaning.

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Summarising

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Identifying key information and explaining the main ideas within a text.

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Authorial Intent

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Understanding why authors make particular choices and how those choices influence readers.

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As children move through the school, they become increasingly analytical, reflective and critical readers.

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Vocabulary: The Foundation of Reading Success

A rich vocabulary is critical for successful reading and learning.

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Vocabulary is explicitly developed through:

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• High-quality class texts.

• Story time.

• Reading lessons.

• Topic work across the curriculum.

• Classroom discussion.

• Exposure to ambitious language.

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Children learn to:

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• Clarify word meanings.

• Use context to infer definitions.

• Explore word origins.

• Recognise how authors use language for effect.

• Apply ambitious vocabulary in their speaking and writing.

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Reading for Pleasure

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At Woodseaves, reading for pleasure is not an additional activity—it is a central part of who we are.

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We want children to develop positive reading habits and identify themselves as readers.

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Children experience:

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• Daily story time.

• High-quality class novels.

• Picture books and poetry.

• Traditional tales and classics.

• Contemporary literature.

• Books from different cultures and traditions.

• Non-fiction linked to curriculum learning.

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As they progress through school, children increasingly:

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• Develop favourite authors and genres.

• Recommend books to others.

• Talk confidently about reading.

• Compare texts and themes.

• Read independently for sustained periods.

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We believe that creating enthusiastic readers is every bit as important as creating competent readers.

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A Rich Reading Culture

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Reading is celebrated throughout our school.

Children regularly encounter:

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• Diverse authors and voices.

• Fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays.

• Texts that broaden cultural understanding.

• Books which reflect modern Britain and the wider world.

• Opportunities to discuss and debate ideas found in literature.

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Pupils are encouraged to think deeply about what they read and to share opinions respectfully through regular book discussions and book talk.

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School Library

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The school library plays an important role in developing independent readers.

Children learn how to:

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• Select books independently.

• Explore a range of genres and authors.

• Locate books for pleasure and research.

• Make informed choices about what to read next.

• Recommend books to others.

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As pupils move through the school, they become increasingly independent in using the library and developing their own reading preferences.

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Spelling and Reading

Reading and spelling are closely connected.

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In Reception and Key Stage 1, spelling develops through our Little Wandle phonics programme as children learn how sounds link to letters and spelling patterns.

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As children move into Key Stage 2, spelling teaching follows the National Curriculum and is supported through Spelling Shed resources. Pupils develop understanding of:

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• Spelling patterns and rules.

• Prefixes and suffixes.

• Root words.

• Word families.

• Morphology.

• Etymology and word origins.

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This deep understanding of words strengthens both spelling accuracy and reading comprehension.

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Reading at Home

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Partnership with parents is vital to reading success.

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Children are expected to read regularly at home and families play an important role in helping children develop fluency, confidence and enjoyment.

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For our youngest readers, home reading books are carefully matched to the phonic knowledge children have already secured in school, allowing them to practise and experience success. Alongside these books, children also access high-quality books to share with adults and enjoy purely for pleasure.

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Regular reading at home helps children:

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• Build fluency.

• Expand vocabulary.

• Develop comprehension.

• Foster positive attitudes towards reading.

• Strengthen lifelong reading habits.

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By the Time Our Children Leave Woodseaves...

Our pupils leave us as readers who can:

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• Decode accurately and fluently.

• Read widely and independently.

• Understand and analyse increasingly complex texts.

• Think critically about what they read.

• Discuss books confidently and thoughtfully.

• Draw upon a rich vocabulary.

• Read for both purpose and pleasure.

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Through systematic phonics, explicit fluency teaching, rich vocabulary development, high-quality literature and a strong reading culture, we ensure that every child develops the knowledge, skills and love of reading needed to flourish in secondary school and beyond.