Reading Policy
Reading Policy
At Acocks Green Primary School, we know that teaching children how to read and
appreciate books is fundamental in developing their experiences of the world
around them.
We teach reading skills, alongside letters and sounds in the Foundation Stage and
KS1 through to the end of KS2 whereby children are encouraged to read
independently, in groups, to a range of adults and most importantly for pleasure.
Our children have access to a wide range of reading materials, from story books
and poetry to non-fiction books, journals and newspapers.
We believe that by engaging children in a variety of reading materials and reading
experiences, they become confident and keen readers, which in turn develops their
writing style throughout their Primary education. Experience shows us that
children who are keen and confident to read, because they have been given
opportunities to share a text, become confident writers. The two do not happen in
isolation.
Our balanced reading programme provides carefully planned shared, guided and
independent reading which offers children varying levels of support, a variety of methods
of instruction and a range of reading experiences. Inexperienced readers are encouraged
and helped to develop their knowledge of books and reading behaviours, their
understanding of the world and control over oral language together with growing
expertise in all aspects of print information, in order to re-create an author’s message in
their own minds.
Reading is the ability to coordinate a variety of strategies:

Fast automatic phonic decoding (sound and spellings)

The recognition of whole words and word chunks, particularly morphemes, to make
sense of and complete phonic blending (graphic knowledge)

Predictions from knowledge of syntax to make sense of strings of words, identify
sense-making and syntactic boundaries in sentences, and read with fluency and
expression appropriate to the text (grammatical knowledge)

Predictions from context to aid comprehension (knowledge of content)
Shared Reading
During shared reading sessions, the whole class (mixed ability) joins in the collaborative
act of fluent, expressive text reading and re-reading. The teacher takes the lead:
orchestrating responses and drawing attention to reading strategies and features of the
text. The teacher is able to model fluent, expressive text reading. Support and
discussion opportunities are provided for less confident readers, whilst targeted
questioning challenges the more able reader. Levels of comprehension can be clarified and
new understanding scaffolded. Shared reading takes place in the classroom using “big”
books, text enlarged on visualisers and interactive white boards. Teaching assistants
complete individual observations of reading strategies used, oral responses and
predictions made, to inform assessment.
Guided Reading (KS1)
Reading Guided reading extends the opportunities provided by shared reading with a
focus on the targeted needs of a particular group with similar reading ability. There is a
clear focus by the teacher on specific strategies the learners need to be introduced to,
develop or practise, and apply during their independent reading. The text selected
should be at the children’s instructional level, i.e. 90-94% accuracy. Oxford Reading Tree
provides texts in sixteen progressive, challenging stages. Stages 1 to 9 are supported by
workbooks which develop comprehension skills. The target for each child is to read the
new text with minimum help, applying knowledge from previous experience. The teacher’s
role is supportive, modelling a reflective appreciative approach to content, and prompting
the reader if necessary to consider a balanced range of information and problem-solving
strategies. Guided reading provides opportunities for children to take part in discussion
where they can enthuse and learn from each other. In Reception and KS1, Guided Reading
takes place during literacy lessons, assembly and hymn practice by the class teacher.
SEN children are heard read by the teacher, where they may be on an independent
reading level to other children. ORT comprehension tasks in EYFS/KS1 are completed
after discussion and reading of the text. Children are also encouraged to search the text
and locate information. In KS1 some ORT comprehension takes place during
comprehension lessons however less able learners need to complete their comprehension
immediately after reading the text. In KS1, LA Guided Reading groups are withdrawn by
the phase leader for focused intervention. In Reception the HA Guided Reading groups
are withdrawn by the phase leader to challenge and extend their learning and develop
comprehension skills. During Guided Reading sessions teachers are able to make
observations and collect information which will inform assessments.
Independent / Home Readers.
Reading is not just seen as a “school activity”. We encourage family involvement as much
as possible. Children need to develop fluency, knowledge and experience of a range of
books and authors. Regular reading helps to motivate children and establish the reading
habit. Children have access to a broad range of levelled supplementary reading material,
book corners and are encouraged to attend the local library. Children read or re-read
texts independently, aloud or silently without direct support from adults. Re-reading
strengthens reader’s control over the reading process.
Parental Involvement
Nursery parents are invited into school for a weekly reading session. Children select a
book to take home to share with their family and parents sit in the reading area
sharing and reading other books. When children start in Reception, parents are invited
into school to reading meetings and are given a “Reading Together Parents as Partners,”
booklet giving helpful information. Reading strategies are shared with parents, including
how to say the sounds correctly and a list of “do’s” and “dont’s” so they are able to give
their children the motivation and support.
1:1 Reading with Teachers and Teaching Assistants
Children read to their teacher in Guided Reading once a week and alternate weeks with
home readers. Teachers hear fifteen home readers’ alternative weeks with the class
teaching assistant hearing the other fifteen. Teaching assistants hear fifteen children
with their home readers a week (three a day). They complete sounds, blends and high
frequency word assessments at least once a half term. In KS1, TAs also support lower
ability guided reading groups focusing on the weaker readers. All teaching assistants use
the reading record sheets which enable them to change the fifteen home readers and
new supplementary books are selected by the children with the TA.
Lunchtime Supervisor Reading
Lunchtime supervisors are designated to a class and collect two children to read each
day. The children selected should be on a Regular Readers Register, LA children and
children who need more support to develop their reading skills. This takes place in KS1
between 11.30 – 11.50am and 12.30 – 12.50pm in KS2. LTS hear at least two children read
daily and record comments in the reading record book. The supervisors are also trained
to recognise reading strategies being used.
Reading Record Books
Reading record books are completed by teachers, TA’s, LTS’s and parents. Teachers fill
in the book adding the date, book title, GR if guided reading, a brief comment, any words
the child struggled with and what was discussed. This information enables the parent to
support their child appropriately.
Reading Packs
Reading bags contain a Reading Record Book, a HF word list, an ORT levelled reading
book, a levelled supplementary reader and any other reading activity task. If a reading
pack is lost the cost is £6.00 to replace it, individual books are £3.00. There is a letter
available to send home and notify the parents of the cost.
Reading Certificates
Children receive a reading certificate in a Superstar assembly when they move up a Stage
on our reading scheme, “ Oxford Reading Tree,” or for a special effort in reading.
Organisation of Reading in Key Stage 2
Guided Reading*
Guided Reading takes place each day between 12.30-12.50 pm for twenty minutes.
Teachers organise their reading groups according to ability. These will generally be the
same as Literacy groups (White, Yellow, Red, Green and Blue) but not always. Some
classes may have more than one level of reading across a single Literacy group. In this
case, teachers split this group into smaller groups, but read with all children on their day.
Teachers can have the whole group on the carpet and set reading for half the group while
reading with the other half and then swap, if they are on slightly different levels within a
group. SEN children are heard to read by the teacher, where they may be on an
independent reading level to other children. All children read to their teacher in their
guided reading group once a week.
TAs do not change children’s Guided Reading books for the teacher.
1:1 Reading
Children read to their teacher on a 1:1 basis every two weeks, and their teaching
assistant every two weeks; so they are heard read by an adult 1:1 at least once a week.
Parents are encouraged to read with children at home as much as possible. TAs and
teachers write the date, book title, page numbers read, any difficult words and a brief
comment in the red Reading Record books whenever they hear a child read.
Reading Record books
Reading Record books are used by teachers, TAs and Lunchtime Supervisors whenever a
child is heard reading. Adults fill in the book adding the date, book title and page numbers read, note of any words that the children struggled to read (to practise at home
with an adult), a brief comment on how the child read or what was discussed and house
points/stickers if required (See example below of how we fill this in).
Teachers must initial to show where they have read with the children in their red Reading
Date
12/11/09
Book and
page number
Ancient Egypt
pg. 16-22
Comments
Clear, confident reading.
We discussed the meaning
of Pharaoh and delta.

papyrus (1 hpt) PR
Record book. TAs and LTSs complete the reading record book in the same way, to
communicate with parents the reading that their child is doing at school.
Lunchtime Supervisor reading
Each class has a designated Lunchtime Supervisor (LTS) who collects two
children each day to read their Guided Reading book, Home Reading book or a book of free
choice from the classroom. This take place between 12.30 and 12.45 pm. Staff provide
their LTS with a register of 10 children who are underachieving in reading, or who do not
read very much at home, so the LTS can read with all the children over the week. They
write in the child’s reading record book when they read with them.
Story at the end of the day
Class teachers will read a story when the bell goes at 2.45 until 3.00 pm. This should be a
class novel. This happens at a minimum of four times per week.
*Other activities during Guided Reading sessions
While one group is reading with the teacher between 12.30 and 12.50 pm, groups carry out
the following activities over the course of a week:
1.
One group practises their writing in their free writing books.
2.
Two groups read their home reader or a book from the classroom library silently and
independently.
3.
One group will have activities planned on the desk tops or iPads in class. This is decided by class teachers and can be linked to a cross-curricular topic, a spelling game,
online story to read, a quiz, typing up a piece of work, etc. This is for cross-curricular
work to support teaching of a chosen subject each week.
Reading is a life skill and the backbone of learning. The whole curriculum is dependent on a
child’s acquisition of oral and written language.
Ellen Moseley/Hazel Pedone
April 2014