Intent
At Riversdale Primary School, reading is a priority as it is essential for accessing our broad and balanced curriculum. We aim for all pupils to leave our school as fluent, confident readers with a passion for reading, able to read with enjoyment and purpose across a wide range of subjects and genres.
Through a structured approach, including systematic synthetic phonics teaching, reciprocal reading, and comprehension strategies, we support pupils in developing a rich vocabulary and critical thinking skills. Our goal is for all children to leave school with the ability to explore language, understand its nuances, and use it effectively in different contexts.
We are committed to offering a diverse range of high-quality texts, including modern and classic children’s literature, non-fiction, and poetry, to build both knowledge and a lifelong passion for reading. By reading widely, pupils will gain the knowledge, skills, and curiosity to understand the world around them. We want our pupils to not only become skilled readers but also to develop an appreciation for the power of words, whether in stories, factual texts, or poetry, becoming curious, confident communicators who are prepared for success in the future.
Implementation
Early Reading
From Early Years to Year 2, pupils are explicitly taught reading through a systematic synthetic phonics scheme: Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. Detailed information regarding the school's intent and implementation of this can be found on our dedicated Phonics page.
Reading After Phonics
From the Spring Term in Year 2, pupils engage in daily 30-minute Reciprocal Reading, which emphasises comprehension skills and marks the transition from a ‘learning to read’ model to a ‘reading to learn’ approach. Our reading lessons are structured to address the demands of the National Curriculum whilst meeting the diverse needs of our pupils and to support mastery of skills over time. The texts used in reading lessons are carefully selected to be age-appropriate, engaging, and challenging, providing rich language experiences to support vocabulary development and comprehension.
Comprehension skills are developed using the VIPERS model, which focuses on six key areas essential for understanding texts:
The VIPERS model is applied across all reciprocal reading lessons, with each of these skills progressively built upon as pupils advance through the school, ensuring they become confident and skilled readers by the time they leave.
The weekly reading timetable follows the structure below:
As pupils move through the school, texts increase in complexity, offering more challenging vocabulary, structure, and themes. This progression helps pupils build confidence, stamina, and critical thinking skills, preparing them for more advanced learning across subjects.
Additional Phonics Support
Pupils who still require support with phonics will undertake the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised Rapid Catch-Up Programme in addition to their regular reading sessions. This targeted programme provides rapid and sustained progress in decoding skills, helping pupils catch up with their peers and ensuring they have the necessary skills to become fluent readers.
Home Reading
Each day, pupils are expected to engage in home reading as part of their daily home learning routine. The texts they read will evolve as their confidence and fluency grow.
When pupils are studying phonics, they will take home a decodable book that matches their phonological and phonemic awareness. These books are designed to be read aloud daily, helping pupils build fluency and accuracy through repetition. In addition, pupils will bring home a "sharing book," which is intended to be read by a family member. This book helps foster a love of reading through shared family time and exposure to enjoyable stories.
As pupils become ready to progress beyond the phonics scheme, they will receive guidance on selecting a wider variety of books to expand their reading experience. Pupils are encouraged to read independently, either to themselves or aloud to family members, depending on their confidence.
After each home reading session, pupils are expected to complete an entry in their reading diary. To help them reflect purposefully, we provide guiding questions or tasks. These might include writing a short summary of what they have read, predicting what might happen next, or selecting new and interesting words and providing simple definitions for these. These activities are designed to consolidate pupils’ comprehension skills, directly linking to the VIPERS model and supporting their understanding of the text they have chosen to read.
A Love of Reading
Studies have shown that enjoyment and engagement in reading have a significant impact on pupils' academic outcomes and their broader life experiences. At our school, we place a strong emphasis on encouraging reading for pleasure, believing that when children enjoy reading, they are more likely to develop lifelong reading habits.
To nurture a love of reading, we use a variety of strategies throughout the school. Each classroom has its own library, which is stocked with a range of challenging, engaging, and age-appropriate books. These books, both fiction and non-fiction, are available for pupils to borrow and for teachers to read aloud. Teachers read to the children daily, exposing them to rich language, diverse genres, and classic stories. This regular reading helps ignite their curiosity and passion for books. Teachers also regularly read a wide variety of written material to the children, further encouraging their interest in different genres and topics.
Each week, pupils attend a reading/share a story assembly, where a member of the senior leadership team reads either a chapter from the current school book (for KS2) or a picture book related to the school’s core values (for EYFS and KS1). These assemblies help foster a love of reading while reinforcing the school’s ethos.
On Fridays, we hold Rainbow Reading sessions, where children are given the opportunity to find a cosy spot in the classroom and enjoy reading for pleasure. This is a time dedicated solely to reading for enjoyment, with no pressure or assessments. In addition, Key Stage 2 pupils have the opportunity to visit EYFS or Key Stage 1 classes to share a story with younger children. This not only encourages younger children to enjoy reading but also allows older pupils to take on a leadership role in promoting a love of books.
By employing these strategies, we ensure that reading becomes an enjoyable and integral part of school life for all pupils, regardless of age. Our goal is to make reading a lifelong habit and to inspire pupils to be enthusiastic, independent readers.
What to Read?
Not sure what book your child might enjoy? Here you will find a copy of the Book Trust's Great Books Guide. This list of 100 books provides some fantastic book recommendations for anyone looking for a new book or a book to engage their child, including books by the current Waterstones Children's Laureate (2024 - 2026) Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
More Recommended Books
Below is a list of 50 recommended books for each year group, as well as a list of recommended reads that include diverse and inclusive themes/characters. Please do have a look at the lists and encourage your child(ren) to read as many of these books as possible.
Curriculum Policies
Please find our English policies below:
Here's a quick link to some useful information for parents and carers, including home learning apps and the school's communication app.
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