Reading

Growing Lifelong Readers

At Chipping Warden we understand the importance of reading in developing pupils into independent, inquisitive learners. We want our children to understand and appreciate the world around them so they can develop into responsible, knowledgeable and caring citizens. As part of this we want the children to 'learn to read and read to learn'.

 By the time children leave Chipping Warden, our aim is for them to be competent readers who can recommend books to their peers, have a thirst for reading a range of genres and are able to confidently participate in discussions about books, including evaluating an author’s use of language and the impact this can have on the reader. Children will use be able to use their reading knowledge and skills, in all curriculum areas, to enable them to know more, remember more and understand more.

Fostering a love of Reading

We try to encourage a love of reading through a range of ways. We celebrate World Book Day and the children love to immerse themselves in a range of activities to celebrate their favourite authors. 

We also work together with the library service to enhance the curriculum areas with subject related books. With the support of our dedicated School Association, we have been developing our school library to include more books celebrating diversity. 

Children are encouraged to choose a book from their reading corners in their classrooms which are designed to inspire the children to choose a book that is suitable for their age and stage of reading. Children in EYFS are able to 'buy' a book from the Bookshop and the Year 1/2 children enjoy being part of Mrs Isherwood's Book Club! Our older children are able to express their reading opinions through their book reviews and much more!

Assessment of Reading

We assess reading in a variety of ways at Chipping Warden. For our early readers we assess their phonetic knowledge through RWI assessments and re-group the children accordingly. At the end of Year 1 the children take part in the National Phonics Screening Test that measures their phonics knowledge.

As the children progress through the school we assess reading ages to ensure that the children are in line with where they should be. Reading is also assessed both formatively, through whole class, group and individual questioning to assess understanding. We assess reading summatively through testing throughout Key Stage Two which assesses children's comprehension and prepares them for the end of Year 6 national testing.

For our children that may need extra support with reading, we provide one-to-one fluency sessions and some group sessions to develop their confidence. We have also invested in a range of up to date and engaging reading books to inspire our readers.