“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” Victor Hugo

"Reading is important because it gives you room to exist beyond the reality you're given. It is how humans merge. How minds connect. Dreams. Empathy. Understanding. Escape. Reading is love in action." Matt Haig 

At Holy Trinity we believe that every child is a reader. Reading feeds pupils’ imaginations and opens the world up to them. It enables them to access all areas of the curriculum and beyond.

Our curriculum intent for Reading is that every child will: 

• Become a fluent reader who demonstrates good understanding
• Develop a habit of reading widely and often for a range of purposes, including for pleasure and enjoyment and for information
• Be exposed to and appreciate a wide range of genres of texts, including diverse texts from different cultures
• Access and acquire a rich, wide vocabulary
• Discuss what they read in order to improve and explore their understanding and develop and explain their thoughts clearly

At Holy Trinity we are committed to ensuring all children have full access to a rich and varied reading diet. Pupils have access to a wide range of texts through our reading scheme, class libraries, school library, Bug Club and planned curriculum. They practise, learn and apply reading skills across the whole school curriculum. They read individually, in pairs, in small groups and as whole classes.

Implementation of the Reading Curriculum at Holy Trinity

Reading is largely focused on two strands: word reading (decoding) and comprehension (both listening and reading).

Early Reading

• Pupils in EYFS and Year 1 are taught phonics, through the use of the Essential Letters and Sound programme, which incorporates the skills of decoding, blending, comprehension and fluency.
• In Year Two, pupils continue working on these early reading skills but with a greater emphasis on fluency, comprehension and spelling.
• Teaching of phonics continues into KS2 for a small number of children who have small group or individual intervention, depending on their need. Programmes for this intervention include Precision Monitoring, Apples and Pears and individualised Specific Literacy Programmes.     

Comprehension

Comprehension skills are learned with reference to the curriculum domains outlined below.

KS1 Curriculum Domains

• Draw on knowledge of vocabulary to understand texts
• Identify / explain key aspects of fiction and non-fiction texts
• Identify and explain the sequence of events in texts
• Make inferences from the text
• Predict what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far.

KS2 Curriculum Domains

• Give / explain the meaning of words in context
• Retrieve and record information / identify key details from fiction and non-fiction
• Summarise main ideas from more than one paragraph
• Make inferences from the text / explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text
• Predict what might happen from details stated and implied
• Identify / explain how narrative content is related and contributes to meaning as a whole
• Identify/explain how meaning is enhanced through the choice of words or phrases

These curriculum domains are learned in a variety of ways including the following:

• Discrete whole-class reading sessions
• Group reading sessions
• VIPERs sessions
• Drama strategies / activities
• Across all curriculum lessons

Text Choices

• Many of the high-quality texts we choose have cross-curricular links, which we believe improves both the engagement and understanding of pupils.
• We select a variety of genre of text, including the use of culturally diverse texts, to widen pupils’ linguistic knowledge and knowledge of the world.
• In addition to texts used in class lessons, reading lists are provided for all year groups as guidance for further reading.

The Impact of the Reading Curriculum at Holy Trinity

Pupils encounter a rich and diverse range of high-quality texts that enrich their vocabulary and broaden their horizons through the joy of literature in its many forms. This opens their access to all curriculum areas and encourages a passion for reading both for information and understanding, and for pleasure.

Pupils leave Holy Trinity with the reading skills required to succeed and flourish at their chosen secondary school and beyond in the wider world. Many pupils leave us as avid readers with a love of reading for life.