Vision and Intent for Reading at Hollybush

At Hollybush, we value reading as an essential life skill, in which every child has the right to succeed. The Hollybush reading curriculum has been designed (in line with statutory requirements of the National Curriculum) to ensure all pupils read easily, fluently and with a good understanding accessing a wide range of texts building on our rich and varied literary heritage. We aspire for all children to acquire a wide vocabulary to underpin their development as competent, confident, lifelong readers, who read often, for pleasure, and in order to gain information.

In order to deliver the National Curriculum to a high standard, we use a variety of reading schemes and texts. In Early Years and Key Stage One, pupils are taught phonics using Read Write Inc resources.  From Year 2 to Year 6 ‘VIPERS’ is used as a vehicle for teaching reading skills as children move through the key stages.  Growth mindset and the development of independence and resilience in reading is threaded through all reading opportunities and experiences.

Key Stage 1 reading

To ensure our pupils leave KS1 as fluent and confident readers, the pupils are streamed within Year Groups for daily phonics and reading lessons. This model ensures that every child from Reception to Year 1 reads to an adult every day, to nurture their love of reading and provide them with a safe environment to develop their skills within a 1:1 environment. In class, pupils have an individual reading book matched to their phonic level to further develop their fluency and, at home, they have an additional phonics book to ensure they are practicing reading a variety of texts.

In Year One, in addition to daily Read Write Inc sessions, comprehension skills are taught twice a week. One session is led by the teacher, linked to a class book, using the ‘Read aloud, Think aloud’ model and the second session is where the children practice answering comprehension questions linked to their individual phonics book.

In Year 2, the children work through the VIPERs over a two-week period with the same book, in order to build fluency, before they are asked to comprehend. These pupils also read an individual reading book, linked to their phonic ability, daily. 

Key stage 2 reading

From Years 3 to 6, reading is taught through a whole class text using the ‘VIPERS’ strategy. A range of texts are planned over the year to ensure that a range of genres are being taught and to ensure progression across the school. Children in KS2, who don’t pass the phonics screening test in Year 2, also receive daily phonics sessions. Children who need further support with fluency or comprehension in KS2 receive one of the following interventions: 1:1 reading, reading fluency intervention, PIXL intervention, Nessy or Lexia. Children who are gifted and talented are also stretched through PIXL sessions. 

Children from Years 3 to 6 have an individual reading book matched to their reading/phonic ability, which they read daily. Over the period of a week, every child is listened to read at least once by an adult in class; this is additional to the time adults listen to children reading in lessons.  To inspire a love of reading we have invested in a wealth of texts for individual reading books. For KS1 this includes Read Write Inc Texts, Early Readers, Rigby Star, Project X and Oxford Reading Tree- to name a few!  KS2 have access to a wide variety of ‘Real Texts’ including a range of dyslexia friendly books and books designed for children with a low phonic ability with high KS2 interest. To accelerate reading skill and fluency, children also have access to range of interactive texts including Nessy, Lexia and Oxford Owls.

The reading curriculum is designed with the aspiration that all Hollybush pupils will leave Year 6 as fluent, confident readers.  In addition to regular reading practice and instruction, we also provide pupils with opportunities to read across the curriculum and take part in events such as World Book Day and The Leeds Book Awards. We also enjoy half termly reading challenges, regular visits to the school library, author visits, parental coffee mornings and any other events to engage children and families in enjoying books and reading together (which we are looking forward to re-establishing now we can welcome visitors into school).

The curriculum is aligned to the school’s values and beliefs: Respect, Aspire Nurture.  Nurturing self-belief and a love of reading to underpin aspiration and success for the future.

Reading Links 

Nessy

Lexia

Oxford Owl

World Book Day

Leeds Book Awards