English- Reading
“If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.” (Roald Dahl)
Reading at Our Lady’s
Reading Curriculum Intent
At Our Lady’s, reading is at the heart of everything we do because we recognise that strong reading skills unlock success across all areas of learning and life. We intend for all pupils to become confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers who can read widely and deeply with understanding, purpose and enjoyment. Through exposure to a broad and rich range of high-quality texts, pupils develop the vocabulary, comprehension skills and critical thinking needed to access, appreciate and respond to written language.
Reading is taught systematically from the earliest stages so that children build firm foundations in decoding and fluency, and then extend their comprehension, inference and analytical skills as they move through the school. We also value reading for pleasure and aim to nurture a lifelong love of reading in every child.
Implementation
Reading is taught consistently and progressively across all year groups so that pupils revisit and build on prior learning. In the early years and Key Stage 1, reading is tightly linked to our systematic phonics programme, enabling children to decode and build fluency from the start. Teachers plan sequenced learning activities that include individual, small-group and whole-class reading sessions to develop word reading, prosody and comprehension skills.
In Key Stage 2, pupils explore a wide range of texts including fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Teachers use a range of reading strategies, such as shared reading, reciprocal reading and guided comprehension activities, to deepen understanding and encourage thoughtful discussion. Teachers model fluent reading and scaffold tasks so pupils are supported to interpret texts, infer meaning and evaluate an author’s choice of language and structure.
Inclusion & Adaptive Teaching
Our reading curriculum is designed to be ambitious and fully accessible to all pupils. We provide a range of adaptive strategies so that barriers to reading are reduced and every child can experience success. Some of the ways we support individual learners include:
Matching reading books to pupils’ current phonics knowledge and reading ability so that texts are both accessible and challenging.
Targeted phonics and reading interventions for pupils who need additional practice.
Daily storytimes/ fluency sessions that model fluent expression and support vocabulary development for all learners.
Alternative recording, questioning or response formats for pupils with SEND so that they can demonstrate comprehension even if reading aloud independently is difficult.
These adaptations ensure that reading is inclusive, and that every child is supported to make strong progress from their individual starting point.
Enrichment
We enrich our reading curriculum with a wide variety of activities that broaden and deepen pupils’ reading experiences. These include:
Book Fairs and opportunities to purchase books that inspire reading for pleasure.
Reading Picnics where families and pupils share books outside the classroom.
Visits to the local library to connect pupils with community reading resources.
After-school Reading Buddies where older and younger pupils read together.
Participation in national and local reading challenges and competitions.
Author visits and online author workshops, promoting exposure to real writers and the creative process.
Weekly class story sessions to build listening, comprehension and vocabulary.
These opportunities help pupils see reading as a joyful, shared activity that stretches beyond the classroom walls.
Impact
The impact of our reading curriculum is seen in pupils who are fluent, confident and thoughtful readers. Pupils demonstrate secure decoding skills, a broad vocabulary, and the ability to read with understanding across a wide range of texts. Reading assessments, daily practice and discussion about texts show clear progress over time, with pupils increasingly able to respond to texts with insight and independence.
Most importantly, pupils at Our Lady’s develop a genuine love of reading that enriches their personal, academic and spiritual lives — building habits and attitudes that will support them throughout their education and beyond.