At Mayplace, we know that reading is key to developing children’s understanding of themselves and the world around them. As part of our Green Curriculum, we want children to engage with a range of people, places and ideas which will allow them to become global citizens in a rapidly changing world. Our core texts are at the heart of these learning experiences. On a daily basis, teachers read aloud to children from high-quality texts (both classic and contemporary) which form the basis of each half-termly topic, and around which all other lessons are based. We expose children to ambitious vocabulary, challenging themes and engaging stories which capture their imaginations and help to develop a love of reading from an early age.

As soon as children start at Mayplace, teachers help children to acquire a wide range of vocabulary, promoting a love of stories, poetry, rhymes and songs in order to generate an early love of language. Our school is a language-rich environment where teachers and pupils select interesting vocabulary from modelled texts and display them on working walls to inform and improve their own ideas. Book corners and class libraries are an attractive and stimulating area which promote reading and contain a selection of good quality children’s texts, which are easily accessible and displayed.

Reception

• Children begin with books with no text to encourage them to use picture cues to tell the story using story language. Children continue using a range of texts beginning at an appropriate level of the phonics taught so far and these are changed weekly.

• Children are given weekly opportunities to change their book from the class library and there are many opportunities to model reading.

• Observations of reading are kept on physical reading records, which are updated weekly.

• Individual reading takes place throughout the year.

• Parents record when their child has read at home, again with comments and observations if appropriate on Class Dojo.

• Comprehension skills are woven through reading time, both whole-class and weekly 1:1 reading. VIPERS-style questioning is employed and contextual knowledge is shared with the children to ensure their understanding of each text read to them is strong. Children make predictions, discuss character choices and make inferences before moving to independent activities which are linked to a core text. Their understanding is deepened through adult questioning. 

Reading in Key Stage One and Key Stage Two

• In Year 1, comprehension skills are through reading time, both whole-class and weekly 1:1 reading. VIPERS questioning is employed and contextual knowledge is shared with the children to ensure their understanding of each text read to them is strong. Children make predictions, discuss character choices and make inferences which strengthen their understanding and ensure they can engage with related tasks in other subjects in a more meaningful way.

• Discrete reading comprehension skills are embedded through whole class guided reading lessons, which take place from Year 2 onwards.

• Children should revisit skills based on the 6 reading domains of the National Curriculum in each half term at least.

• Children participate in daily Whole Class Guided Reading sessions in addition to their English lesson, using a range of genres to support topic work wherever possible. The agreed guided reading planning format is used (see below).

• Children should be sat in mixed ability pairs for Whole Class Guided Reading.

• All children access the same texts during these lessons. All texts should be pitched so that the most able readers are challenged.

• Children reading below age-related expectations are identified quickly and provision is allocated on pupil progress documents. Reading interventions do not take place during guided reading.

• Appropriate reading books are read as part of homework through Reading Eggs.