Reading at West Heath Primary
Reading is a central part of our curriculum vision and one of our key curriculum drivers. We are committed to ensuring that every child leaves our school as a confident, fluent and enthusiastic reader. Through high-quality phonics teaching, structured guided reading lessons and a strong culture of reading for pleasure, children are provided with rich and varied opportunities to develop both their reading skills and their love of books. Our approach supports pupils in becoming fluent, independent readers, who are well prepared for future learning and lifelong success. At West Heath Primary School, we strive to teach all of our children to read with depth and to enjoy a variety of texts. We aim to develop competence in reading words and comprehension, so they are able to reach age-related expectations and make at least good progress from their starting point. In addition, we want our pupils to develop a love for reading and have opportunities to read for pleasure on a regular basis.
The aims of teaching reading in our school are to develop pupils who:
- Develop positive attitudes towards reading
- Have secure knowledge of letters and sounds in order to read fluently
- Learn to read fluently and understand a range of texts
- Read fluently with good understanding across, fiction, non-fiction and poetry
- Employ a range of comprehension strategies to aid their understanding of a text
- Acquire the skills needed to answer comprehension questions, make predictions and summarise
- Acquire a wider vocabulary
- Activate their prior learning in order to make meaning of a text
- Read for pleasure in and outside of school
Phonics
Read Write Inc. Phonics is a structured literacy programme that teaches children to read, write, and spell using a systematic phonics approach. It helps students learn letter sounds, blend words for reading and supports development of fluent handwriting and spelling skills through interactive lessons and repeated practice. Teachers use the programme to deliver consistent, step-by-step phonics instruction, assess progress regularly and provide targeted support to build confidence and early reading success.
Accelerated Reader
All KS2 pupils, and the majority of Year 2 pupils, have access to Accelerated Reader.
Accelerated Reader is a school-based reading program designed to encourage independent reading and improve literacy skills. Students read books at an appropriate level and complete short online quizzes to check comprehension and track progress. The programme is used to support reading development, monitor achievement and set personalised goals.
Bug Club
Bug Club Comprehension is a reading and comprehension programme designed to help students develop deeper understanding and critical thinking skills through engaging texts. The platform provides age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction texts to stimulate readers from Year 1 to Year 6. We use these texts within our guided reading lessons to help children develop their ability to read fluently and understand the written word.
