Reading & Phonics at Woodsetts Primary

At Woodsetts Primary School, reading is at the heart of everything we do. We aim to instil a lifelong love of books and stories in all our pupils and ensure every child becomes a fluent, confident reader. From the very first stages of phonics to interpreting sophisticated texts in Year 6, we nurture reading as a gateway to learning, imagination and independence.

 Our Intent
We want every child to:

• Learn to read fluently, accurately and with enjoyment
  Develop strong comprehension skills and vocabulary knowledge
  Talk confidently about what they read and enjoy
  Experience a wide range of high-quality texts across genres and cultures
  See themselves — and others — reflected in books

Reading opens the door to all learning. Our mission is for every child at Woodsetts to leave us as a confident reader who reads for both pleasure and purpose.

Early Reading and Phonics
In Early Years and Key Stage 1, we follow a systematic, synthetic phonics programme (insert your chosen scheme here, e.g. Read Write Inc or Little Wandle) to teach early reading skills. Children have daily phonics sessions and access to fully decodable books that match their phonics level.

Key features:

• Daily phonics in EYFS and KS1
• Regular assessments to match books to ability
• Home reading books and resources shared with families
• Targeted support for children needing extra help

For more information about Little Wandle and our approach to phonics, please access our Phonics Page.

Reading Across the School
Reading is taught in a structured, progressive way from EYFS to Year 6. Each year group has a carefully selected spine of core texts that support reading for pleasure, vocabulary growth and curriculum connections.

Reading is taught through:

• Whole-class reading sessions
• Guided reading groups (we call this Reading Practice)
• Book talk and vocabulary exploration
• Independent and paired reading
• High-quality read-aloud time every day (Story time)

We use high-quality books that represent a range of voices, backgrounds, settings and themes — including classics, contemporary texts, poetry, picture books and non-fiction.

Reading at Home
We work in partnership with families to support reading at home. Whilst children are at the early stages of reading, they take home a book matched to their current reading level and a love of reading book (e.g. picture book). As children progress, they take home a book from our library that is appropriate to their ability and interests. Families are encouraged to read together daily and attend events such as:

• Reading workshops
• World Book Day celebrations
• Reading challenges
• Stay & Read mornings

You can find out more about the importance of home reading here: https://www.woodsettsprimary.co.uk/key-information/curriculum/home-reading

How We Assess Reading
We assess reading regularly through:

• Half-termly phonics assessments from Little Wandle
• Benchmarking and fluency checks
• Comprehension tasks
• Vocabulary and retrieval quizzes
• Rising Stars or SATs-style papers (KS2)
• Ongoing teacher observation and discussion

Children needing extra support receive targeted interventions including 1:1 reading, Little Wandle interventions, phonics booster sessions and comprehension groups.

Reading for Pleasure
Every classroom has a well-stocked, welcoming reading area and access to their phase library. We actively promote reading for enjoyment through:

• Daily story time and author read-alouds
• Book recommendations from staff and pupils
• Author visits and themed events
• Reading buddies across year groups
• Opportunities to read in different places — indoors and outdoors!
• Designated reading displays and spaces in every classroom
• Home reading challenges

Pupil Voice in Reading
Reading is something our children love to talk about. Here’s what some of our pupils say:

• "Our teacher reads to us every day. I like how the story gets exciting and we all want to know what happens next." – Year 4
• "I used to be scared of reading but now I have a favourite author!" – Year 2
• "We get to choose our own books from the class library and recommend them to our friends." – Year 5
• "I liked reading Holes. I thought I wouldn’t but it got really interesting." – Year 6
• "My mum reads with me every night and I read to my baby sister now." – Year 1

We use pupil voice to shape our book choices, develop the library, and improve how we teach reading for pleasure and purpose.

Useful Links for Families
Supporting your child with reading at home is one of the most powerful things you can do. Here are some trusted and engaging resources for families:

• BookTrust – Books and Reading Tips
  Book recommendations, free storybooks and guidance on reading with your child.
  https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/
• Storynory – Free Audio Stories
  A library of fairy tales, myths, poems, and classic stories to listen to at home.
  https://www.storynory.com/
• Oxford Owl – Free eBooks and Help for Parents
  Free eBooks and phonics support from Oxford University Press.
  https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/
• BBC Bitesize – Reading and Literacy
  Interactive literacy lessons, games and videos for KS1 and KS2.
  https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zgkw2hv

Here you will find out agreed book lists for Years 1 to 6 - we are working on a great list for EYFS too which will be uploaded soon!