Reading At Whitley Park 

Intent

Our intention is for all pupils at Whitley Park to become fluent, motivated and critical readers. We aim for children to:

• Develop a lifelong love of reading through exposure to a wide range of high-quality texts.
• Read fluently, with confidence, independence, and secure comprehension skills that enable them to engage with a wide range of texts for different purposes.
• Build vocabulary and background knowledge through reading a variety of texts  
• Use reading as a means to learn, imagine, empathise and connect with the wider world.

We believe reading is a fundamental life skill and the key to unlocking learning across all subjects.

Implementation

At our school, we place a strong emphasis on developing confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers through a carefully structured reading curriculum. We use Literacy Leaves to deliver sequenced comprehension units built around high-quality picture books, novels, and non-fiction texts. Sharing one text between two pupils encourages collaboration, supports engagement, and allows every child to experience the text directly as a reader.

Texts are carefully selected to offer a broad and age-appropriate reading experience, matched to Lexile levels and designed to develop key skills such as fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Vocabulary is explicitly taught to ensure children are continuously building their language and knowledge. The wide range of texts children are exposed to across the school provides a rich and varied reading diet, which not only fosters a love of reading but also builds their understanding of the world around them.

Every child is given a reading book that matches their current level, along with a reading record, and is expected to read at home at least four times a week with support from parents or carers. This is regularly checked by staff and reported each half-term to parents. Reading is taught four times a week in whole-class sessions, each lasting 40 minutes. Children who need additional support with phonics in KS2  continue to receive targeted teaching in small groups, based on regular assessments.

To monitor progress and inform teaching, we use PM Benchmarking and PIXL Reading assessments alongside evidence from lessons and pupil outcomes. This data is reviewed in core team meetings to identify next steps and address any curriculum gaps, ensuring all pupils make rapid progress. Targeted support is provided for the lowest 20% of readers, who receive additional daily reading practice.

Please see our writing and reading spine on our writing page to see the range of texts children study during their reading lessons.