Our Reading Curriculum

At Highfields, reading is central to learning, personal development and belonging. We aim to provide a rich language environment that promotes a culture of reading and a love of books. Our reading curriculum is carefully designed to reflect and promote our core values and curriculum drivers.  

• Curiosity drives discovery by inspiring pupils to explore a wide and engaging range of texts. We encourage children to ask questions, develop a love of books and reading, and deepen their understanding of the world in which they live through stories, information texts and discussion.  

• Creativity flourishes through opportunities for pupils to respond imaginatively to what they read. Children are supported to make connections, express ideas, and develop their own voice as thoughtful and reflective readers.   

• Collaboration is key within our reading curriculum. Through shared reading, discussion and book talk, pupils learn to listen respectfully, appreciate different viewpoints and work together, building empathy and confidence as part of a supportive reading culture. We value books as a basis for pleasure, talk and collaborative play.   

• Challenge is embraced through our ‘no ceiling’ approach, ensuring that pupils experience a progressive and ambitious reading curriculum. High expectations, targeted support and purposeful challenge help children develop resilience, perseverance and independence as they grow into fluent, confident life-long readers.  

• Community matters within our approach to reading. We understand the important role that parents and carers have in supporting their child’s world reading and comprehension skills. We value diversity in texts, promote positive reading role models and encourage strong relationships. 

By the time children leave us in Year 6, we want them to be confident, fluent, enthusiastic readers who can understand and enjoy a wide range of texts. They should be able to read with accuracy, expression and stamina, and use a range of strategies - such as inference, prediction, summarising and retrieving key information- to make sense of what they read. Pupils should have a strong vocabulary, understand how language and structure create meaning, and be able to discuss and compare texts thoughtfully. We also want them to be independent readers who choose books for pleasure, talk confidently about their reading preferences, and show resilience when tackling challenging texts across the curriculum. Most importantly, we aim to nurture a lifelong love of reading so that pupils leave us seeing reading not just as a skill, but as something that enriches their learning and their lives.

How do we teach reading?

We follow the principals set out in the National Curriculum 2014. We recognise the integral role that speech and language has when a child is first learning to read. We liaise closely with services which have an impact on children’s achievement in reading including Speech and Language Development services, to ensure that any gap in individual outcomes is narrowed from the very outset of a child starting school. We also have our own school specialist speech and language expert who works with individuals and groups of children supporting a variety of needs which includes additional story time sessions focusing on language acquisition.   

In the Foundation Stage, Literacy forms the basis of one of the 6 areas of learning - Communication, language and literacy. Emphasis is on teaching Literacy through role play, stories, storytelling and big books.  

Read Write Inc (Phonics) (Foundation Stage – Year 2)  

At Highfields we use Read Write Inc. (RWI), a proven and effective approach whereby children are taught to read using phonics. We teach phonics in group sessions so that all children have access to teaching which provides the appropriate support they need at each stage of their learning. Regular assessment, both formative and summative takes place to ensure teaching is tailored to individual needs and that groups are kept fluid according to need.  

During the Summer Term in Year 1, pupils undertake the Phonic Screening Check (PSC). Pupils who do not pass the check and those identified as needing additional support in other elements of reading, will continue to receive daily phonics input or small group/1-1 intervention in Year 2 to focus on particular aspects of reading including phonics and the application of phonics in spelling. Lessons during the summer term in Year 1 move towards whole class and group reading.   

Alongside the teaching of phonics we place great emphasis on developing children’s reading fluency, their understanding and comprehension and in developing a love and enjoyment of reading. There is a strong focus on hearing children read individually through reception and Year 1. Books are carefully matched to each child’s phonic knowledge. When a child has completed the RWI books they then transfer to other reading scheme books (primarily Oxford Reading Tree). The books are levelled to ensure the children are practising and applying skills as they are taught and to help them become competent and independent readers. Children also have access to a range of picture books, transition chapter books and longer reads to support the development of their individual reading skills.   

Whole Class Reading with guided support (Years 2 - 6)  

Reading takes place in whole class sessions during the week. During these sessions the responsibility for reading shifts to the learner. During a reading session, the children read and respond to a challenging text with the teacher or teaching assistant supporting. Texts of graded difficulty, both fiction non-fiction and poetry are chosen and matched to the reading ability of the class. It is intended that reading provides a forum for children to demonstrate what they have learned about reading and to further develop and extend their reading, comprehension skills and extend their vocabulary. Teachers and teaching assistants provide support through targeted conversations and modelling during these sessions in order to challenge all learners at an appropriate level.    

Reading across the curriculum  

Reading skills are promoted across the curriculum in all subjects to allow all children access to age related skills and knowledge contained in the National Curriculum. We continually look to purchase high quality texts that support other curriculum areas and topics taught. It is important that children can follow their own personal interest in different subjects and we look to facilitate this through providing reading material so they can widen their own knowledge and enjoyment of subjects.   

Daily Story-time  

A daily story-time takes place in every class. Teachers choose high quality texts which expose pupils to rich and varied language, harnessing their imagination and promoting a love of books from different genres. Books may be linked to topics that are being taught or they may be chosen to inspire and to challenge thinking. Books include traditional stories and poetry. These sessions allow teachers to ‘model’ other reading skills to pupils.   

Home Reading   

Parents are actively encouraged to support their child with reading daily at home in all year groups. Reading Expectations meetings are held at the beginning of each year where teachers discuss key reading skills for each year group and offer supportive ways in which parents can help their child at home. Reading Information is also available on our school website and on weekly newsletters. We recognise the focus on ‘decoding‘ as children first learn to read but we understand the valuable role that parents can continue to have in developing reading skills once their child has become a confident reader.   

Promoting Reading  

We take part in World Book Day events and reading awards form a regular part of celebration assemblies.  Teachers also encourage daily reading with a variety of class incentives including bookmark stickers in Foundation and KS1. Children who we identify as needing additional support are invited to Reading Clubs. This provides a child with a quiet space in which to read and enjoy books. Older children support younger pupils as reading buddies and our Year 5 pupils enjoy becoming authors and writing a story which they then read to our youngest pupils.  A whole school reading challenge takes places weekly with all classes participating. The leader board is celebrated during assembly.

Progression of Skills and Knowledge

Our Progression Grids for Reading outlines the key progression for each year group. These have been carefully developed to ensure clear progression of skills as children move into each year group.

How do we integrate technology to enhance teaching and learning? 

We use a range of technology to make reading more accessible, engaging, and enjoyable for all children. Platforms like Oxford Owl give pupils access to levelled e‑books with audio support that they can use at home and in school, while phonics apps such as Busy Things reinforce early reading skills through fun, interactive games. Accessibility tools (like Immersive Reader and iPad features) help younger readers, EAL learners, and pupils with SEND access age‑appropriate texts confidently. Interactive whiteboards and visualisers allow teachers to model reading skills clearly, and audiobooks provide high‑quality narration that supports vocabulary and comprehension. We also use creative tools - such as QR codes and class blogs - to inspire pupils to share book recommendations and develop a love of reading.

How do we make Reading accessible to all pupils? 

We make reading accessible to all pupils by providing a wide range of texts matched to different reading levels and interests, alongside high‑quality phonics teaching to secure early decoding skills are gained as soon as possible.  

We use digital tools—such as audio‑supported e‑books, Immersive Reader, and accessibility settings on iPads—to ensure pupils with SEND, EAL needs, or processing difficulties can access age-appropriate reading  confidently. In some instances, pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), follow personalised learning plans to ensure that individual needs are met and that learning remains meaningful, accessible and appropriately challenging. Targeted interventions, including the use of RWI and Fresh Start, are used to close gaps in understanding so pupils remain on track with their learning. For these pupils, progress is measured through carefully identified small steps that reflect their individual starting points.  

Teachers use visualisers, interactive whiteboards, and modelled reading to make strategies clear, while targeted interventions support pupils who need extra practice with fluency or comprehension. Reading mentors help children who benefit from hearing fluent models. Most importantly, we create a reading‑rich environment with inclusive texts, adapted resources, and supportive adult guidance so every child, regardless of starting point, can enjoy, understand and engage with reading. 

How do we measure the impact of our reading curriculum? 

We use a range of assessments and ongoing checks to ensure children are making strong progress in reading. Teachers carry out regular phonics assessments, fluency checks, and comprehension activities to see how well pupils are securing key skills. We track progress through guided reading sessions, individual reading records, and observations of how confidently children apply strategies when reading independently. Standardised assessments and national checks, such as the Phonics Screening Check, also help us measure attainment against national expectations. We monitor reading behaviours too—pupil engagement, book choices, and reading stamina—to understand attitudes towards reading. Leaders review this information at pupil progress meetings, look at work samples, and speak with pupils to ensure our curriculum is effective and meets the needs of all learners.