Reading at Burrowmoor:

How Is Reading Taught During the School Day?

Throughout their time at Burrowmoor Primary Academy, we want all pupils to develop a genuine interest in books. During the school day, pupils are exposed to a wide range of age‑appropriate texts across a variety of genres.

Pupils are encouraged to develop their reading skills in different ways, including reading with an adult, taking part in group reading sessions, and using their reading skills regularly within lessons across the curriculum.

Children have access to their class mini‑library throughout the day, as well as the whole‑school library, where they can choose from a range of fiction and non‑fiction books.

EYFS and Key Stage 1

Children learn the skills and knowledge needed to read words through our phonics scheme, Floppy’s Phonics. Through the systematic teaching of phonics, children rapidly learn letter–sound correspondences and are supported to blend sounds to read words and then sentences.

Children take home reading books that are closely matched to the sounds and words they have already learned. These are carefully chosen by the class teacher. Once children become confident and fluent readers, they are supported to choose an appropriate book for themselves. All children also take home a book of their own choice to read independently and/or share with an adult.

In the later stages of Key Stage 1, children take part in regular whole‑class reading sessions, which focus on developing fluency and comprehension skills.

Key Stage 2

As children move into Year 3 and beyond, reading continues to be a key focus.

When children enter Key Stage 2, they move onto the Accelerated Reader (AR) programme, where they can choose books from a wide range that are closely matched to their reading age and level of proficiency (see below for a Parents’ Guide to AR). Teachers monitor progress through online quizzes, which children complete when they finish a book. Pupils who are not, yet, fluent readers continue to be supported through focused work on segmenting and blending sounds to read words.

Children experience daily reading for meaning lessons, which include fluency practice, exposure to high‑quality written English and carefully planned questioning, as well as more in‑depth comprehension‑focused sessions. The knowledge, experience and skills gained through these lessons support learning across all areas of the curriculum.

What Can You Do at Home?

Please spend time each day listening to your child read, as this helps them practise and reinforce the skills they are learning in school.

For older pupils, encourage them to read the book they bring home from school independently.

Children of all ages benefit from being listened to, as well as hearing others read aloud. In addition to school reading books, we encourage you to share a variety of texts and genres with your child, such as newspapers, letters, comics, recipes, menus and fiction. We want our children not only to love reading, but also to understand its purpose in everyday life.

For more information and support from the Book Trust - click on the link below.

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/tips-and-advice/reading-tips/