Reading

The members of staff responsible for the development of reading are Miss Roberts for Early Reading and Mrs Coxon for reading across the school and curriculum. They lead, support and monitor our shared aim of developing confident, independent readers who foster a lifelong love of reading.

 What?

At Holy Trinity, we believe reading is the key to unlocking the whole curriculum and opening doors to the wider world. Through reading, children develop language, expand their vocabulary, stimulate their imagination and gain new experiences.

Our carefully mapped reading curriculum ensures that children acquire, apply and deepen their knowledge and skills in a progressive way. Each stage builds on prior learning and prepares children for the next step in their journey from Nursery through to Year 6. We are committed to ensuring that all children leave us as confident, capable readers who enjoy reading for pleasure.

How?

Early Reading (EYFS and KS1)

Early reading is a priority. From Nursery onwards, children develop their phonological awareness and early reading skills through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.

Daily phonics lessons are taught in Nursery, Reception and Year 1
We use the Little Wandle assessment tracker to carefully monitor progress and identify next steps
Children read fully decodable Little Wandle fiction and non-fiction books, closely matched to their phonics knowledge

Alongside decoding, children in KS1 develop:

Reading fluency (accuracy, pace and expression)
Comprehension skills (understanding and discussing texts)

For children who need additional support, we provide:

Little Wandle Rapid Catch-Up programme
SEND phonics support

This ensures that every child is supported to succeed, thrive and become a confident reader who can access the full curriculum.

Please note: while we follow Little Wandle for phonics, we use a different handwriting scheme and therefore do not teach letter formation through Little Wandle.

You can find out more about supporting your child at home here:
https://www.littlewandle.org.uk/resources/for-parents/

Reading Beyond Phonics

Once children are secure in phonics, we continue to develop:

Fluency (still closely linked to phonics knowledge)
Deep understanding of texts
Comprehension and discussion skills
Awareness of authors’ craft and techniques

Children explore a rich range of high-quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry, including both classic and contemporary texts.

Our Reading Teaching Cycle

Reading is taught through a structured and flexible three-week cycle, designed to develop fluency, deepen understanding and ensure all children make strong progress.

Week One: Building Understanding and Core Skills

First Read of the Text
The teacher introduces the text, reading aloud and modelling how to build understanding. Children begin to develop mental images and are supported to understand new vocabulary through discussion.
Reading Fluency
Children practise reading using a range of approaches including echo, choral, paired and independent reading to develop accuracy, pace and expression.
Vocabulary Focus
A dedicated lesson to explore and understand key vocabulary from the text.
Retrieval Focus
Children practise locating and recalling key information from the text.

Week Two: Developing Deeper Thinking

Inference Focus
Children are supported to read between the lines, using clues from the text to deepen understanding.
Other Reading Domain Focus
This may include skills such as summarising, predicting or explaining.
Targeted Support (Gaps)
Teaching is adapted based on ongoing formative assessment to address gaps and ensure all children keep up.
Big Read (Unseen Text)
Children apply their reading skills independently to a new, unfamiliar text. This includes comprehension questions and helps teachers assess understanding.

Week Three: Reflection and Reading for Pleasure

Reflective Read
Children revisit learning through collaborative discussion, modelling and refining their answers to deepen understanding.
Reading for Pleasure
Dedicated time to enjoy reading:
- Book recommendations
- Independent reading
- Class reader (approximately 30 minutes)

This cycle allows children to revisit and strengthen key skills, apply them independently and develop confidence as thoughtful, fluent readers.

Assessment and Support

We assess formatively through Big Read responses and daily teaching
Local Authority materials are used to inform termly assessments
Targeted support is provided where needed, focusing on either:
- Fluency
- Comprehension

We ensure all children receive the support they need to keep progressing.

Reading for Pleasure

We place a strong emphasis on developing a love of reading:

Daily opportunities for class reading and discussion
Time dedicated to reading for pleasure
A wide range of engaging texts across genres and cultures
Encouragement to explore books as both mirrors (reflecting themselves) and windows (exploring new worlds)

Reading at Home

Reading at home plays a vital role in children’s success.

We aim to hear every child read 1:1 with an adult in school each week
We strongly encourage regular reading at home

We use Boom Reader as our digital reading record:

Parents and older pupils can log reading easily
All reading counts - not just school books

We encourage children to “go all in” by:

Finding subjects they are interested in
Reading widely and often
Enjoying reading in all forms appropriate to their age and stage

There is a wealth of information available through the links below, including tips and videos to help you support your child at home.

So?

Our children make strong progress and develop into enthusiastic, confident readers. They:

Read regularly for both enjoyment and information
Talk about books with interest and insight
Make connections across texts, authors and genres

Outcomes at Holy Trinity are strong, including phonics screening and KS2 attainment. However, we believe the true impact of our reading curriculum goes far beyond results.

Reading supports:

Mental wellbeing
Access to the full curriculum
Future life chances

We are proud to give every child the opportunity to step into the rich and exciting worlds that books offer and to develop a lifelong love of reading.