* * Do contact us if you would like to visit our school. We have spaces in KS2. To find out more please telephone 020 8542 1591 * *
* * Do contact us if you would like to visit our school. We have spaces in KS2. To find out more please telephone 020 8542 1591 * *
Holy Trinity CofE Primary School

Reading

At Holy Trinity, we work to emphasise the importance of books and literature in enabling children to become confident, happy and enthusiastic readers and writers, with all the benefits this brings.
 
We understand that reading underpins success across all of the curriculum and opens up many doors for children for life. We are committed to valuing reading across the curriculum.
 
We prioritise engaging children with reading and developing a life long love for reading literature through the reading curriculum through Guided Reading lessons and by embedding a culture of reading for pleasure. All staff at Holy Trinity are responsible for promoting a love of reading and sharing this with children every single day.
 
Holy Trinity's Reading Culture
  • Inviting and well stocked book corners in every classroom
  • Class novels
  • Reading ambassadors in Year 6
  • D.E.A.R (drop everything and read) 
  • Books as prizes
  • Scholastic Book Fairs
  • Yearly Book Week
  • Book related dress up days (World Book Day)
  • Visits Wimbledon Book Festival
  • Reading and book workshops
  • Author visits
  • Visit to Merton Libraries
  • Paired reading between year groups
  • Role-play/drama used to bring books to life
  • Free read books 
  • Model a love for reading by staff
  • Reading Journals (Years 5 and 6)
  • Star Reader celebrated at the end of each term
  • Reading volunteers who come in to read with children
  • Book talk

"Reading is prioritised throughout the school. Library visits, author workshops and book weeks help to promote the value of reading. The school provides a diet of classical and contemporary fiction, poetry and non-fiction texts. Teachers, volunteers and pupil reading ambassadors provide many opportunities for pupils to read. Pupils at the early stages of reading develop secure phonic knowledge. The curriculum has been carefully planned and leaders check how well children have learned it, identifying gaps in their knowledge and tailoring teaching to address those gaps swiftly and effectively. Pupils receive timely additional support where needed." Ofsted, July 2024

Whole Class Reading
 At Holy Trinity we follow a mastery approach to developing reading skills through the programme Pathways to Read. Units of work are delivered using high quality texts and children in all year groups are given varied opportunities for reading. Skills are built up through repetition within the units, and children apply these skills in the reading activities provided.  


In KS2, the programme is delivered through whole class shared reading lessons.

In KS1, children participate in one whole class lesson followed by bespoke grouped reading at least once a week as well as individual reading.

For pupils still needing support with phonics from years 2-6, we use our phonics scheme, Read Write Inc. to provide further support and intervention.

In our whole class reading, there is a clear teaching focus with the opportunity to master key reading skills in each session. There are follow on reading tasks to enable pupils to evidence the skills they have mastered independently.

Many opportunities for widening children’s vocabulary are given through the Pathways to Read approach and this builds on the extensive work we do in school to provide our children with a rich and varied vocabulary.  

You will find the end of year expectations for reading for each of our year groups in the attached documents. 

Reading Scheme
From Years 2-6, the children follow the reading scheme 'Accelerated Reader'. They are assessed by their class teachers and the Accelerated Reader programme and are provided with a code relating to books at their comprehension level.

When they have completed a book, they complete a quiz to see how well they could deduce, infer and interpret the book.

Accelerated Reader results are used to inform teacher overall assessment of reading alongside Whole Class Reading lessons and termly formal assessments as we take a multi-assessment approach to reading.

Reading at Holy Trinity: An Overview
Our School Library
At Holy Trinity we are extremely fortunate to have our own school Library and Librarian!
 
The library is regularly kept up to date with the latest releases and is managed both with our librarian and Year 6 Reading Ambassadors who help put away books and make the very important decisions on what new books we should stock in our library.
 
Each class have frequent opportunities to visit the library each week.

Children take out an Accelerated Reader book and a 'free reader' (a book of their choice not associated with the Accelerated Reader scheme)
 
Lower attaining readers may be given the opportunity to read more quiz books and complete more quizzes as a form of intervention, these books would not go home and be read in class with an adult.


Reading at Home
At Holy Trinity we expect children to read regularly at home and record their reading in their Reading Record or Reading Journal (for Years 5 and 6). Children will be given books to take home but we actively encourage children to read their own books or other library books which can be recorded in their Reading Records/Journals.
 
It is recommended that child reads 15+ minutes a day at home, we encourage a mixture of independent reading, child reading to an adult and an adult reading to a child.

Even in KS2 a child benefits from hearing an adult read as it helps them to develop a strong reading voice with a focus on pronunciation and expression which in turn improves their reading fluency. 

Please check your child's Year group page to see more details about reading expectations for your child's year group.

Reading at Home
At Holy Trinity we expect children to read regularly at home and record their reading in their Reading Record or Reading Journal (for Years 5 and 6). Children will be given books to take home but we actively encourage children to read their own books or other library books which can be recorded in their Reading Records/Journals.
 
It is recommended that child reads 15+ minutes a day at home, we encourage a mixture of independent reading, child reading to an adult and an adult reading to a child.

Even in KS2 a child benefits from hearing an adult read as it helps them to develop a strong reading voice with a focus on pronunciation and expression which in turn improves their reading fluency. 

Please check your child's Year group page to see more details about reading expectations for your child's year group.