In Year 1 and Year 2, as well as continuing the highly structured programme of RWI, there is also a focus on comprehension and we continue to promote reading for enjoyment. Children continue to listen to stories daily and have regular opportunities to read independently. We are happy to see that most children are reading fluently by the time they start Key Stage 2. 

In Key Stage 2, once children are ‘freed’ from focusing on word recognition, we teach specific reading comprehension strategies using the acronym ‘VIPERS’ which covers all National Curriculum objectives.

• Vocabulary

• Inference

• Prediction

• Explain

• Retrieval

• Summarise/Sequence.

What do our Whole Class Reading sessions look like?

• All children reading the same high-quality text which has been carefully selected, with an appropriate level of challenge.

• Children will be exposed to a wide range of texts, genres and media throughout the year.

• Purposeful speaking and listening activities which support the development of childrens’ language.

• A mixture of teacher reading aloud, children reading aloud, paired reading or children reading independently.

• The teaching of specific comprehension strategies (VIPERS) which are modelled (I do, We do, You do) before being practised by the children.

• Teacher’s modelling inference making by ‘thinking aloud’.

• Children articulating their ideas verbally before writing them down.

• Golden Challenges accessible to children to allow them to show greater depth in their understanding.

Children in Y5 and Y6 who are not yet ready for whole class guided reading will take part in a small group, daily Fresh Start session.

Parents/Carers are encouraged to support reading at home and children are expected to read daily. We use Accelerated Reader (AR) at Ings Primary School. Children complete half termly STAR assessments which gives them a ZPD. The school has a wide-range of AR home reading books which the children choose themselves from the library. Each child has an individual reading record where reading is recorded and tracked and is a means of communicating development to the child, parent and teacher. Children are also encouraged to read more widely using books they have at home or choosing a non-AR book from the library or class reading area.

Reading for enjoyment is nurtured at Ings Primary School. We aim to inspire our children to explore, learn and grow, and make connections by giving them frequent opportunities to read widely.