Years 3 & 4 By the beginning of year 3, pupils should be able to: read books written at an age-appropriate interest level accurately and at a speed that is sufficient for them to focus on understanding what they read rather than on decoding individual words. decode most new words, making a good approximation to the word’s pronunciation. Teaching should be directed towards developing their vocabulary and the breadth and depth of their reading, making sure that they become independent, fluent and enthusiastic readers who read widely and frequently. They should: be developing their understanding and enjoyment of the full range of fiction genres, be developing their knowledge and skills in reading non-fiction about a wide range of subjects, be learning to justify their views about what they have read, demonstrate understanding of figurative language, distinguish shades of meaning among related words and use age-appropriate, academic vocabulary. Pupils who are still struggling to decode need intervention so that they catch up with their peers. However, as far as possible, these pupils should follow the year 3 and 4 curriculum: listening to new books, hearing and learning new vocabulary and grammatical structures, and discussing these.

Reading – word reading Pupils should be taught to: apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes both to read aloud and to understand the meaning of new words they meet read further exception words, noting the unusual correspondences between spelling and sound, and where these occur in the word. Reading – comprehension Pupils should be taught to: develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read. understand what they read in books they can read independently. retrieve and record information from non-fiction participate in discussion about both books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say.

Years 5 & 6 By the beginning of year 5, pupils should be able to: read aloud a wide range of poetry and books written at an age-appropriate interest level with accuracy and at a reasonable speaking pace. read most words effortlessly and to work out how to pronounce unfamiliar written words with increasing automaticity. prepare readings, with appropriate intonation to show their understanding, summarise and present a familiar story in their own words. They should be reading widely and frequently, outside as well as in school, for pleasure and information. Teachers should continue to emphasise pupils’ enjoyment and understanding of language, especially vocabulary, to support their reading and writing. Pupils’ knowledge of language will support their increasing fluency as readers, their facility as writers, and their comprehension. Pupils whose decoding skills are poor need intervention so that they catch up with their peers. However, as far as possible, these pupils should follow the year 5 & 6 curriculum: listening to books & writing they have not come across before, hearing and learning new vocabulary and grammatical structures, and having a chance to talk about all of these. By the end of year 6, pupils’ reading and writing should be sufficiently fluent and effortless for them to manage the general demands of the curriculum in year 7, across all subjects not just in English.

Reading – word reading Pupils should be taught to:  apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (morphology and etymology), as listed in English Appendix 1, both to read aloud and to understand the meaning of new words that they meet. Reading – comprehension Pupils should be taught to:  maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read.  understand what they read.  discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader  distinguish between statements of fact and opinion  retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction  participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously  explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary  provide reasoned justifications for their views.

There are seven reading assessment focuses: AF1. Use a range of strategies including accurate decoding of text, to read for meaning (has most prominence in early reading) AF2. Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to text AF3. Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts (reading between the lines) AF3 is vital to making progress in reading and underpins attainment across all the AFs. AF4. Identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts, including grammatical and presentational features at text level AF5. Explain and comment on writers' uses of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level AF6. Identify and comment on writers' purposes and viewpoints and the overall effect of the text on the reader AF7. Relate texts to their social, cultural and historical contexts and literary traditions

WHAT WE DO IN SCHOOL  Reading scheme caters for children until they are a secure level 4 (national average level of a year 6 child) – this ensures a wide range of genre is read at correct reading age and comprehension skills are secure.  We have been given £3000 towards extending this further.  Children on the reading scheme are heard read regularly.  All children take part in guided reading (small group reading) with their class teacher once a week.  Bug Club – ebooks matched to children’s reading ability.  Reading underpins the majority of subjects taught and therefore children are experiencing a wide range of texts and regular practice of comprehension skills.  Those children who are not secure decoders receive phonic support through intervention sessions. Reading for pleasure and enjoyment  Reading for pleasure during the school day – children have access to a range of books in their class book corners and struggling readers have access to books that are at their interest level but a lower reading age level.  Every class has a weekly timeslot during curriculum time to visit the library to change books.  In addition, every class has two lunchtime sessions a week available to them in the library.  Children are also read to – this may be during lessons or a class book may be read at the end of the school day.

Hear your child read regularly and ask them questions about what they’ve read – many resources available. Read to your child – they need to hear how to read with expression, the different sentence structures and extensive vocabulary. Talk to your child about what they’re reading over the breakfast table, in the car etc. Reluctant or struggling readers If your child is a reluctant or struggling reader, share a book with them. This can take various forms: read to them, take turns to read alternate sentences, read with them to build confidence and lessen the embarrassment of mispronunciation. Audio books are great too! Unfamiliar words If they come across an unfamiliar word, before telling them what it says or what it means or sending them to get a dictionary, look it up online etc, encourage them to use the context of the sentence to try to work out what it might say and mean before using the other tools to check it.