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Reading at Woodstock

Reading at Woodstock Primary Academy is a priority. As an essential skill that not only supports learning in all areas of the curriculum but also a child’s future academic achievement. We recognise the impact that reading has on wellbeing and success in life and across the school we are working hard to develop positive attitudes towards reading. it is important that we give priority to the teaching of reading and support children in embracing a lifelong love of books so that they can understand what they are reading.

“Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible.” – Barack Obama

Our goal is to embed a culture of reading across the school; ensuring children show fluency and comprehension appropriate to their age. We aim to create an ethos that positively promotes books and reading through everyday practice. During their time at Woodstock, children will engage in a world of stories and text types and our intent is for children to confidently be able to retell some of these stories orally.

Reading Spines - At Woodstock to ensure that all children develop their love of literacy, we focus on exciting key texts for their year group; ensuring that when all children leave the school at the end of year 6, they can recall stories that we shared together with enthusiasm and excitement.

Reading tips – Sharing a book with a child is fun! You can find tips using the link: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/tips-and-advice/reading-tips/

Whole Class Guided Reading

Central to our reading approach across all year groups is whole class guided reading. Children receive four adult led sessions over the week focusing on the explicit reading skills of: vocabulary, summarising, retrieval, and comprehension through a carefully selected class text. Children will practise their inference, prediction, explanation and summarising skills during the comprehension lessons and link their ideas to the text.

Children in reception and Key Stage One are also have the opportunity to read to an adult on a weekly basis through either small group guided reading sessions or 1:1 reading.

Class Novels & Reading for Pleasure

At Woodstock, we have adopted a novel led approach which is used to engage children in reading and link with the wider writing to generate hooks and a purpose for writing. Each year group has a carefully selected reading spine created from a wide range of texts which acts as a common bank of stories that all children are exposed to throughout their time at Woodstock.

These high-quality texts are read to the children by an adult at the end of each day and our intent is to inspire children to develop their love of reading. Children also have the opportunity to browse a range of books and further celebrate reading through regular school library visits.

Reading at Home

At Woodstock, it is expected that children are heard reading aloud or are read to at home at least 3 times a week and this must be recorded in their reading diary. In KS2, once a child finishes their reading book, they will take a quiz on the book using accelerated reader to assess their understanding of the text. They will then be allowed to change their book in the school library. To support this, we provide regular reading workshops to parents and guardians.

In EYFS and Key Stage One, children are provided decodable books that run alongside or a little behind the sounds taught in phonics using Oxford Owl Read Write Inc books.  

Accelerated Reader

In Key Stage Two, home reading is promoted through Accelerated Reader. Accelerated Reader provides children with a personal book level that aims to provide children with challenge without the frustration that can come when a book is too challenging. Children can read the book at their own pace before taking a quiz that provides them and their teacher with instant feedback on their understanding.

Accelerated Reader Parent Guide

All children also have access to MyOn where children can access further reading from home.

MyONhttps://www.myon.co.uk/login/

Reading Celebration

Reading is celebrated and promoted at Woodstock through a number of initiatives. Children who read at least three times a week will receive a star (token) to spend at our very own library tuck shop where children can spend their stars on a range of prizes. Children can also earn stars when they score 100% on accelerated reader quizzes. Assemblies are used for teachers to nominate a star reader for children who have excelled with their reading across the week. Displays around the school are used to promote current class books and provide further child shout outs. We cannot stress the importance of reading at home enough and our children need your support. Reading is fundamental to children’s success in school and enables all learning to take place.