Reading
Manorside Academy Early Reading Strategy
At Manorside Academy we believe that having a highly effective Early Reading Strategy is vital to the success of pupils as they progress through the school and onto secondary school as it is the key to accessing the curriculum. Reading is prioritised and meticulously planned across the school to ensure pupils receive the highest quality provision from the moment they join the school, as developing pupils’ reading ability and their desire to read is not something that can be left to chance. As teachers, it is our job to inspire pupils and engage them in reading widely from an early stage to instil a love of reading from the earliest opportunity. We consistently reflect on and adapt our practice based on the most up to date research and through continuous analysis of impact, working with staff to ensure they receive ongoing CPD to implement our strategy to the highest possible standard.
| Area of Reading | Information | What Does This Look Like at Manorside? |
| Speech & Language | We understand that for pupils to become skilled, fluent and confident readers they have to be able to communicate effectively and have a wide breadth of vocabulary that is consistently developing. Therefore, pupils’ understanding of language is developed through listening & speaking – creating a language rich environment, while they are taught to decode through phonics. Research shows that pupils who experience more speech at an early age become more efficient in processing words in real time and have larger vocabularies. To ensure all pupils can flourish with this, we introduce WellComm speech & language intervention in Nursery and Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) across Reception. These daily interventions, along with regular assessments ensures that all pupils have sufficient speech & language skills to thrive as readers which links to The Simple View of Reading[i]. | – Daily S&L Interventions for pupils who require it
– Daily NELI/WellComm sessions across Early Years (EYs) – Daily vocabulary sessions across EYs and Key Stage 1 (KS1) – Required vocabulary outlined on Medium Term Plans – Targetted provision during adult lead and child initiated activities to develop vocabulary – Adult scaffolding, modelling and uplevelling of vocabulary consistently |
| Oracy | To ensure that pupils ‘have the vocabulary to say what they want to say, and the ability to structure their thoughts’[ii] we ensure that pupils across Early Years access multiple opportunities to develop their spoken language. This includes; daily nursery rhyme or poetry sessions, relentless communication & language opportunities timetabled in throughout the day e.g. key areas of discussion planned in for snack times, books scanned in and on the Interactive Whiteboard when being read so pupils can read along where possible and join in with repeated refrains and role play opportunities. Throughout learning pupils are also given the opportunity to partner talk to develop oracy skills further. All staff have received CPD around fluency strategies that can be embedded into daily practice to support the development of spoken language across the school. | – Daily Nursery Rhyme/Poetry sessions across EYs
– Daily C&L sessions timetabled across EYs – Story Time sessions prioritised daily with fluency and oracy opportunities embedded within these – Partner talk promoted throughout all lessons – Role play areas across EYs and opportunities planned into MTPs in KS1 |
| Systematic Synthetic Phonics | As a school we follow the Read Write Inc. Phonics Programme which is taught daily across the school. This is implemented in Nursery from Christmas and in Reception by the end of the second week of pupils being in school. One of the reasons behind this rapid start to phonics is that research shows the vocabulary gap between pupils that are read to daily compared to those who are not is over 1,000,000 words[iii]. The majority of our pupils come from the fourth out of fifth quintile of disadvantaged areas with many not having access to a wide range of books. This then impacts on their levels of vocabulary. The aim is for all pupils to become successful and independent readers whilst ensuring they have an innate passion for reading. All members of staff have had official Read Write Inc. training to ensure the phonics teaching is precise and to the highest quality. As stated in EEF Preparing for Literacy, before pupils start phonics in Nursery, they complete activities which develop phonological awareness.[iv] | – Daily Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics sessions across EYs and KS1
– RWI interventions taught daily – Word Time, 1:1 Tutoring – RWI Book Bag Books sent home weekly carefully matched to learnt sounds – RWI Parent Information Sessions ran – RWI assessments completed every six weeks – RWI specific staff CPD (weekly coaching & RWI specialist led Inset sessions) |
| Home Reading | Pupils are sent home with a book that closely matches the sounds they have learnt that week in phonics to ensure pupils are not exposed to sounds they are yet to learn when being asked to read independently. Parents are offered a Phonics workshop within the school where they are shown how to support their child effectively at home, in line with how they are being taught in school. This is also then added to the school website for any parents who were unable to attend the session in person. The school also shares with parents regularly further strategies they can use to help their child further. All pupils have a subscription to the Oxford Owl online library where they can access hundreds of books to develop their reading skills further. Weekly, each pupils is set a book and a quiz on Oxford Owl, linked to their phonics learning from that week, for them to show their understanding further. | – RWI Book Bag Books sent home weekly carefully matched to learnt sounds
– Book Corners & Library stocked with year group recommended books for pupils to take home to enjoy – Oxford Owl Login for pupils in Rec-Year 3 – Reading Champion & Book Worm scheme – Bedtime Reading sessions in school – RWI & Reading Parent Information sessions ran & put on website |
| Assessment & Early Intervention | We strongly believe that pupils need to keep up with their peers rather than being helped to catch up at a later date. To ensure that any pupil who is at risk of falling behind is identified rapidly, we assess pupils’ phonics progress every six weeks which then inform the teaching groups. These assessments inform professional judgement[v] and also highlight any pupils who are at risk of falling behind and therefore need swift intervention. To support these pupils to fill any gaps they have in their knowledge we offer a range of early reading interventions including; 1:1 tutoring, 1:1 daily reading and Word Time (small group work). To ensure parents are informed and can support their children at home, we send home copies of their assessments so parents can also see the gaps in their pupils understanding and knowledge. | – Six weekly assessments & fluid groupings informed by these
– For pupils at risk of falling behind: – 1:1 reading – Tutoring – Word Time sessions – Assessment sent home to parents to support parental involvement |
| Reading for Pleasure | Story Time and Book Club in our school library are an integral part of all timetables across the school. Story Time is timetabled in daily and is a protected slot of time where pupils can enjoy a wide selection of books that have been carefully selected to build cultural capital and introduce pupils to different cultures and communities. Book Club[vi] takes place in the school library, giving teachers the chance to act as influencers and promoters of reading whilst pupils have the opportunity to make recommendations and share reviews with their peers. Pupils from Reception onwards have the opportunity to vote for their Story Time book to instil key British Values. Story Time books are also used as an opportunity to develop vocabulary, with pupils unpicking and applying key vocabulary from these books throughout the week. Each classroom has a book corner which is designed to promote high quality books and embed a passion for reading. | – Daily story time timetabled in across the school
– Weekly library slots timetabled in across the school – Well stocked book corners with a range of books carefully chosen for each year group – Teachers promoting specific books – High level vocabulary taught and promoted across the curriculum – Reading Clubs offered across the school in the high quality school library |
[i] Gough and Tunmer’s Simple View of Reading
[ii] Billie Dunne – Senior Programme Manager at National Literacy Trust
[iii] Science Daily (2019)
[iv] EEF Preparing for Literacy
[v] EEF Preparing for Literacy
[vi] The Reading Framework, Department for Education, July 2023
Manorside Academy Reading Strategy
At Manorside Academy, we have identified that reading underpins all other subjects and therefore put it at the forefront of pupils’ learning. Our aim is for every child, irrespective of the background, to become fluent and confident readers. From the moment pupils join Manorside Academy, we encourage them to build progressively on reading skills whilst engaging them in high quality, enjoyable texts. We do this through rigorous & meticulous planning, carefully monitoring the sounds and reading skills pupils are being taught, regular six-weekly assessments to monitor outcomes and ensuring the books they are reading are in line with these. This gives our pupils the opportunity to embed and apply new learning before moving onto more challenging texts. Not only does this develop their skills as readers but also fosters a love of reading, something we hope they build upon and keep for life. By embedding reading into our curriculum (carefully choosing a range of challenging texts from a wide variety of authors and genres) we ensure pupils are exposed to reading opportunities consistently, giving them the opportunity to embed and extend their understanding in a range of contexts. To ensure pupils at Manorside Academy become fluent, proficient readers, whilst developing strong comprehension skills, we use the following teaching strategies:
| Area of Reading | Information | What Does This Look Like at Manorside? |
| Phonics | As a school we follow the Read Write Inc. (RWI) Phonics Programme which is taught daily across the school. This is implemented in Nursery from Christmas and in Reception by the end of the second week of pupils being in school. One of the reasons behind this rapid start to phonics is that research shows the vocabulary gap between pupils are read to daily and those aren’t is over 1,000,000 words[i]. The majority of our pupils come from the fourth out of fifth quintile of disadvantaged areas with many not having access to a wide range of books which expose them to high levels of vocabulary. The aim is for all pupils to become successful and independent readers whilst ensuring they have an innate passion for reading. All members of staff have had official Read Write Inc. training to ensure the phonics teaching is precise and to the highest quality. As stated in EEF Preparing for Literacy, before pupils start phonics in Nursery, they complete activities which develop phonological awareness.[ii] | – Daily Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics sessions across EYs and KS1
– RWI interventions taught daily – Word Time, 1:1 Tutoring – RWI Book Bag Books sent home weekly carefully matched to learnt sounds – RWI Parent Information Sessions ran – RWI assessments completed every six weeks – RWI official CPD for all staff – RWI specific staff CPD (weekly coaching & RWI specialist led Inset sessions) |
| WCR and Reading Comprehension | As pupils progress through the school they experience Whole Class Reading sessions, where pupils enjoy a high-quality, above age-related expectations texts and engage in discussion with their peers and teacher to develop a deep understanding of the text. Pupils will be learning the key skills that underpin reading throughout all lessons to help build their understanding of comprehending texts. During Reading Comprehension lessons, we believe in the importance of children being absorbed in texts as a whole rather than feature-spotting or discussing individual components. Once our pupils can decode well, they can be “introduced to a wealth of literature and non-fiction”, which allows them to “think deeply and discuss a range of rich and challenging texts”[iii].Exploring texts is a window through which children can develop empathy skills, a sense of wonder and encounter new concepts and ideas. However, we are also aware of the importance of giving children the opportunity to be given extracts of texts to build their understanding of the topic they are studying and exposure of a range of text genres. Therefore, we give children once a week an extract to assess the children’s ability to complete an activity based on a range of skills. We believe that comprehension is an outcome rather than a skill to practise. Our skilled readers, usually unconsciously, use the following comprehension strategies to access a text: activating and using background knowledge; generating and asking questions; making predictions; visualising; monitoring comprehension; summarising. We therefore model and facilitate each of these within reading lessons until it becomes automatic for the children. Texts used in reading lessons can be more challenging than pupils might be able to access independently, as our teachers guide children through the text to support them in vocabulary acquisition. In addition to extracts, poems and short non-fiction pieces, children should be given opportunity to read and enjoy whole texts through the reading curriculum, which includes listening to our teachers reading the class novel aloud. |
– Meticulously mapped out Medium Term Plans (MTPs) in place across the school
– Skills Progression for a range of reading skills in place across the school – Texts carefully chosen to ensure a range of styles, genres and authors covered in Reading Comprehension and Whole Class Reading – Weekly reading comprehension sessions (2 x Year 3-6 & 1 x Year 2) following MTPs – Partner talk promoted throughout all lessons – All pupils accessing a text to read along in Whole Class Reading sessions |
| Increasing Knowledge of Tier 2 Vocabulary | We are constantly striving to develop and widen our pupils’ bank of vocabulary. To support them with this, we teach five Tier 2 words a week that are taken from our Whole Class Reading text. The pupils learn the meaning of these words and are then taught the etymology (the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history) before putting the words into context and thinking of synonyms and antonyms for the words. This follows research that shows pupils learn vocabulary more effectively if they can explain and explore it before consolidating their understanding[iv]. The pupils then hear these in context when reading the text as a class and can also apply these words independently in their writing. Key Vocabulary (Tier 2 or Tier 3) is also shared during every lesson on the teaching whiteboard; this is discussed with the pupils and ensures pupils are confident with the meaning of all new vocabulary they are exposed to.[v] | – Daily Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics sessions across EYs and KS1
– Nuffied Early Language Intervention (EYFS) – Vocabulary highlighted throughout Medium Term Plans to support understanding and acquisitions – Staff CPD about Tiered vocabulary and how to teach this effectively – Active engagement around new vocabulary e.g. clapping when hearing the new word |
Developing Fluency |
As pupils gain fluency, their motivation increases: they start to enjoy reading more and are willing to do more of it.[vi]
As children move through the school into KS2 and beyond, the expectation is that once they have acquired appropriate skills to decode phonics, they are fluent – when this is not the case then there is an area of learning we need to continue to model and teach It is helpful to view fluency as progressive; it takes continuous practice as the texts become more challenging. At Manorside, we are aware of the importance of building this fluency so ensure that this is a paramount part of the teaching that happens throughout the day. We use a range of strategies to support fluency once children can decode, for example echo and choral reading, and highlights the importance of modelled reading aloud across the curriculum, repeated reading of a text and opportunities for the pupils to read aloud. This is completed throughout KS2 on a daily basis as part of their WCR lessons and other lessons across the curriculum. |
– Daily fluency practise
– Range of fluency activities used and mapped out on MTPs across the school and accessed during Story Time. – Fluency practise used across a range of subjects – RWI Phonics & Fresh Start Fluency development across the school – Encouragement of pupils reading at home and re-reading the same text to support with fluency – Parent workshops around how to help develop fluency |
| Variety and Love of Reading | It is impossible to mandate that pupils read for pleasure, but teachers can inspire pupils and engage them in reading widely[vii]. We believe it is vitally important that all pupils are exposed to a wide selection of authors from different cultures, ethnicities, gender, and backgrounds to support pupils with their wider understanding of the world around them and to develop their cultural capital. That is why all our Reading Comprehension, Whole Class Reading & Story Time texts are meticulously hand-picked by the Senior Leadership Team to ensure all these different elements are reflected on and are woven throughout our curriculum. Story time books have incorporated texts that are more socially and culturally diverse that teaching staff and senior leadership team correlating building on all staff’s knowledge of a range of books available. A class teacher will choose two books from the list, given to each year group, and give their class a synopsis of the stories. Children can then democratically choose the book that they would like to have read to them. To develop pupils’ passion for reading, we engage in events including World Book Day and Bedtime Story Evenings that encourage pupils to enjoy reading further and are always a big success at Manorside. We understand the importance of pupils being exposed to a wide range of genres as each genre comes with an opportunity to learn new vocabulary and each genre has a set of skills tied to it[viii]. Therefore, to encourage reading across genres, we have Book worm awards that children can work towards each year by reading a range of books from 9 different genres and once completed receive one of three different badges (Bronze/Silver/Gold). We also invite in authors to encourage pupils to read a wider range of books and develop their writing skills. We see reading as a vital tool in developing pupils’ cultural capital and these events play a key part in this. Staff at Manorside expect parents/carers to listen to their children read at home for 5-10 minutes 3 times per week and to record this in their planners so they can apply skills learnt at school. Oxford Reading Owl (an online book library) and reading plus are there to ensure children always have a range of texts that they can access at home. Furthermore, all pupils are sent home with at least one banded book of their choice that is appropriately challenging for their stage of reading, for them to enjoy at home. The carefully banded books ensure that pupils are practising the sounds they have learnt in school whilst consolidating previous knowledge. Any home reading is then celebrated through house points and Reading Champion Awards. We support parents/carers with this by offering parental guidance letters that inform them how their child is taught to read at school so they can support them effectively. As part of their home reading, we encourage pupils to re-read their books to develop fluency and promote that parents ask them a variety of questions to develop their understanding. Once children are fluent readers, it opens the door for them to be immersed in books. Carefully chosen texts that reflect children’s interests and help them to be emotionally invested in the characters are fundamental in encouraging a love of reading.[ix] |
– Story Time books rigorously planned to ensure they are developing pupils’ cultural capital
– Daily Story Time sessions prioritised with pupils voting about the text they would like – Reading Club offered to Year 1 – 6 – Book Club sessions timetables in weekly in the school library to develop a passion for reading and to develop oracy. – Online reading library provided for all pupils so they can access a wide range of texts easily – Trips to local libraries planned into the wider curriculum to develop links – Summer Reading Challenge promoted and celebrated within the school – Celebrated events such as World Book Day, Bedtime Story Evenings and Roald Dahl Day – Home reading celebrated as pupils become Reading Champions – Parent Workshops about how to support developing a love of reading at home – Carefully banded books so pupils can access books they take home independently – Alternative books by the author they are currently studying readily available in book corners for pupils to access if they enjoy that author |
| Home Reading | Pupils are sent home with a book that either closely matches the sounds they have learnt that week in phonics or with a banded book following from our termly GL assessments. This ensures pupils can access the book they are reading independently. Parents have all been offered a phonics/reading workshop within the school where they are shown how to support their child effectively at home, in line with how they are being taught in school. This is also then added to the school website for any parents who were unable to attend the session in person. The school also shares with parents regularly further strategies they can use to help their child further for example through letters, leaflets sent home with the pupils or on the school’s social media page. Pupils in Reception – Year 3 have a subscription to the Oxford Owl online library where they can access hundreds of books to develop their reading skills further and pupils in Year 4-6 have a login to Reading Plus. Weekly, each pupil is set a book and a quiz on Oxford Owl linked to their phonics learning from that week, or a task on Reading Plus, for them to show their understanding further. | – RWI Book Bag Books sent home weekly carefully matched to learnt sounds
– Book Corners & Library stocked with year group recommended books for pupils to take home to enjoy – Oxford Owl Login for pupils in Rec-Year 3 – Reading Plus login for pupils in Year 4 – 6 – Reading Champion & Book Worm scheme – Bedtime Reading sessions in school – RWI & Reading Parent Information sessions ran & put on website – Strategies to support parent s |
| Assessment | We know that reading assessment data provides teachers with vital information to guide instructional decisions[x]. Therefore, pupils in Nursery – Year 2 (and those who need it in Year 3) are assessed every half term using a Read Write Inc. assessment which then informs their phonics groupings to make sure teaching is precise and to support pupils with making rapid progress with their reading ability. Once pupils complete the Read Write Inc. scheme, they are assessed using the New Group Reading Test from GL Assessments which assess pupils’ reading ability and provides a reading age termly. Individual assessment should identify any pupils in need of extra support as soon as they begin to fall behind their peers – Reading Framework, 2023.On the 2nd half of each term a Teams reading assessment is completed online at home or with a member of staff. This information, along with data from termly NFER tests and teacher knowledge from reading with their pupils regularly, provides teachers with the information they need to accurately book band pupils. This ensures they are reading a book that is appropriately challenging for their ability.
Pupils who attend our Fresh Start intervention are also assessed using the RWI Fresh Start assessment every six weeks. These assessments inform their groupings for this intervention and supports pupils to catch up rapidly. |
– Six weekly assessments & fluid groupings informed by these
– For pupils at risk of falling behind: – 1:1 reading – Tutoring – Word Time sessions – Fresh Start – Results sent home to parents to support parental involvement |
| Early Intervention | At Manorside Academy, our aim is for all pupils to keep up and not have to catch up. However, we are aware that some pupils progress at different rates and may need support to ensure they are able to read in line with their chronological age. To ensure all pupils gain a deep and rigorous knowledge of key skills that enable them to read fluently, we swiftly put in place several interventions that support our wide range of pupils where assessments show necessary. “Early intervention in the primary grades can prevent reading problems for most children and significantly reduce reading disabilities”[xi] These include RWI Fresh Start interventions, daily 1:1 reading, tutoring, pre-teaching class texts and extended schools which are all taught by highly qualified staff. These not only work towards ensuring that pupils have no gaps within their understanding and as a minimum, have the same reading age as their chronological age, but they also develop pupils’ confidence in their ability to read and fully comprehend independently which in turn, develops their love of reading. When pupils join Manorside Academy mid-year, they are assessed on entry to ensure any appropriate interventions are swiftly put in place to ensure they catch up and any gaps in knowledge are closed. Class teachers, alongside the Reading Lead will look at how the pupils are assessed and use their experience, knowledge, and training to decide the most appropriate intervention that will catch the child up as swiftly as possible. The RWI Fresh start scheme is in place to support pupils in KS2, who have been assessed to have their reading age below their chronological age and is ran by highly trained teaching assistants working across year groups each afternoon. In EYFS and KS1, we begin with phonics and language interventions from the earliest point possible for the child with these being taught by staff trained in RWI. | – Six weekly assessments & fluid groupings informed by these
– For pupils at risk of falling behind: – 1:1 reading – Tutoring – Word Time sessions – Fresh Start – Results sent home to parents to support parental involvement – RWI official CPD for all staff |
| Reading for Pleasure | Reading for pleasure is instrumental in developing reading skills with Clarke and Rumbold identifying many benefits including; reading attainment & writing ability, text comprehension, breadth of vocabulary, positive reading attitudes, general knowledge and many more.[xii] Story Time and Book Club are an integral part of all timetables across the school. Story Time is timetabled in daily and is a protected slot of time where pupils can enjoy a wide selection of books that have been carefully selected to build cultural capital and introduce pupils to different cultures and communities. Story Time books are also used as an opportunity to develop vocabulary, with pupils unpicking and applying key vocabulary from these books throughout the week. Each classroom has a book corner which is designed to promote high quality books and embed a passion for reading. Book Club takes place in the school library, giving teachers the chance to act as influencers and promoters of reading whilst pupils have the opportunity to make recommendations and share reviews with their peers. Pupils from Reception onwards have the opportunity to vote for their Story Time book so instil key British Values. We also hold regular events across the year such as Bedtime Reading evenings, World Book Day activities and author visits to inspire and engage pupils with reading across a range of styles and genres. |
– Daily story time timetabled in across the school with carefully mapped out books chosen to develop cultural capital
– Weekly library slots timetabled in across the school which include a Book Club session – Well stocked book corners with a range of books carefully chosen for each year group – Teachers promoting specific books – High level vocabulary taught and promoted across the curriculum – Reading Clubs offered across the school in the high-quality school library – Events to celebrate reading e.g. Bedtime Story |
[i] Science Daily (2019)
[ii] EEF Preparing for Literacy
[iii] Reading Framework 2023
[iv] Closing the Vocabulary Gap, Alex Quigley 2018
[v] The Importance of Vocabulary Acquisition in Primary School, Emma Mudge 2023
[vi] EEF Improving Literacy at KS2
[vii] Reading Framework 2023
[viii] The Importance of Reading Across Genres – Kansas English Vol. 101 (2020)
[ix] One Education – Putting Children First.
[x] Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making – Hamilton et al (2009)
[xi] The Case for Early Intervention in Reading – Patricia Mathes
[xii] Reading for Pleasure a research overview, National Literacy Trust – Clark and Rumbold (2006)
Read, Write, Inc Phonics - Powerpoint for Parents