English - Reading

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At Bosley St Mary's CE Primary School, we believe that reading is the foundation of all learning. Our ambition is for every child to become a fluent, confident and enthusiastic reader who enjoys books, understands what they read and develops a lifelong love of reading.

Reading opens doors to knowledge, imagination and opportunity. Through a rich range of high-quality literature, we aim to develop children's vocabulary, deepen their understanding of the world and nurture their curiosity, empathy and creativity.

Our approach focuses on three essential elements:

• Decoding and fluency: Developing the skills to read accurately, confidently and with expression.
• Comprehension: Building vocabulary, understanding, inference and the ability to think deeply about texts.
• Reading for pleasure: Inspiring children to enjoy books, discover authors and genres, and develop their own reading interests.

How We Teach Reading

Our reading curriculum is carefully structured to build secure foundations before developing increasingly sophisticated reading skills.

Phonics – Building Strong Foundations

We use Read Write Inc. (RWI) as our systematic synthetic phonics programme, beginning in Reception and continuing through Key Stage 1.

Children receive daily phonics teaching, learning to recognise sounds, blend words, develop accurate decoding and build reading fluency. Regular assessment ensures teaching is matched to children's developing knowledge, with additional support provided where needed.

Children read carefully matched books that allow them to practise and apply the phonics knowledge they have been taught, building confidence and independence as readers.

Guided Reading – Years 1 and 2

Alongside phonics, children develop their reading through guided reading sessions, carefully matched to their stage of development.

Teaching focuses on developing accurate and fluent reading, building vocabulary and understanding, and encouraging children to talk confidently about what they read.

Children learn to retrieve information, make simple inferences, discuss characters and events, and begin to explain their ideas using evidence from texts.

Whole-Class Guided Reading – Year 3 Onwards

From Year 3, children take part in whole-class guided reading lessons, exploring a rich range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Through teacher modelling, shared reading, discussion and carefully structured questions, children develop reading fluency, vocabulary and increasingly sophisticated comprehension skills.

We use the VIPERS reading domains to support the systematic development of comprehension, including retrieval, inference, prediction, explanation, vocabulary and summarising or sequencing.

Children are encouraged to think critically, justify their responses and develop a deeper appreciation of authors' language and ideas.

Reading for Pleasure

Reading for pleasure is central to our school culture. We want every child to experience the enjoyment, excitement and comfort that books can bring.

We promote a love of reading through:

• High-quality literature: Sharing a diverse range of engaging fiction, non-fiction and poetry across the curriculum.
• Reading aloud: Providing regular opportunities for children to enjoy stories and experience fluent, expressive reading.
• Classroom reading environments: Creating welcoming spaces where children can explore books and develop their interests.
• Choice and independence: Encouraging children to discover favourite authors, genres and books they enjoy.
• Reading across the curriculum: Using texts to enrich learning, develop vocabulary and deepen understanding across subjects.

Reading for Every Learner

We maintain high expectations for every child, recognising that children learn to read at different rates.

Regular assessment enables us to identify gaps, provide additional teaching and ensure children receive the support and challenge they need. Children who require further support with decoding or fluency continue to receive targeted teaching, regardless of their year group.

Our aim is for every child to develop the skills, confidence and independence to access the full curriculum through reading.

Working Together With Families

Reading at home plays an important part in children's development. We encourage families to share books, listen to their children read and talk about stories, characters and ideas.

Children are supported with reading books appropriate to their developing skills, alongside opportunities to enjoy a wider range of literature for pleasure.

Our ambition is for every child to leave Bosley as a fluent, thoughtful and enthusiastic reader, equipped with the skills to learn independently, a curiosity about the world and a lifelong enjoyment of books.