Our Reading Curriculum
Reading is a key tool for life. Teaching children to become confident and fluent readers, by developing a love and passion for reading, is a large and exciting part of what we do at High Hurstwood CE Primary School. We have many opportunities for reading a wide range of books and materials – supported by a rich and very well-resourced library. Each week, parents and volunteers listen to children read in school, and we ensure reading books are carefully matched to ability.
A wide range of stories and genres are read frequently in class to inspire a life‐long enthusiasm for books and all that they offer children and adults alike. Staff model fluent reading to children to help them ‘hear’ what good readers sound like. We ensure that children are continually being encouraged to read for pleasure through activities and events such as reader’s theatre, author visits, celebrating World Book Day, regular visits to the school library and enjoying bedtime stories. Each class has a Reading River, with recomendations from pupils and the staff, which promotes books for each children's age.
The development of children’s reading skills begins in the Early Years and Key Stage 1, with the use of popular and well-established reading scheme books, as well as phonic books, which provide the children with reading material that is pitched at exactly the right level. ‘Rocket Phonics’ is used as part of the ‘core spine’, which is supplemented with books from other schemes, for example Oxford Reading Tree, Tree Tops, Ransom Reading Stars and Project X, to provide an extensive library of books at every stage, and ensure children have a broad and rich reading experience.
We aim to create successful, fluent readers who will monitor their understanding of what they are reading and review the text when something does not make sense. Pupils are exposed to a rich and varied reading curriculum which helps them develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually.
Please find our school's Reading Curriculum Map, Reading Book Map and Reading implementation document (subject vision) document at the bottom of this page.