Reading 

                                          "The more that you read, the more things you will know."  

                                            " The more you will learn, the more places you'll go"

                                                                                     Dr Seuss

Intent

At The Mead Infant and Nursery School, we prioritise the teaching of reading both as a key component of our English provision and one which unlocks opportunity in all other subjects.  Our intent is to develop positive attitudes towards reading, so every child thinks of themselves as a reader and has fostered a love of the written word in all its various forms. We wish to create a community of readers that share, enjoy and promote reading as a skill and desirable pastime.

Implementation

Our English lessons develop pupils’ spoken language, reading, writing and vocabulary. Literacy is taught in a cross-curricular way, linking up with other areas of the curriculum. We teach our pupils to speak clearly, to convey their ideas fluently and confidently and to ask questions. Their vocabulary is developed systematically.

Our reading lessons are delivered through whole class shared reading comprehension sessions with a focus on VIPERS, daily fluency lessons, 1:1 reading, as well as through discreet  phonics teaching.  All classes have stories read to them every day, which helps to promote a love of reading and something that should be valued and treasured.  We aim to read a range of text types, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry.  We regularly update our stock of books in the library and class book-corners, ensuring that a balance of fiction, non-fiction and poetry is on offer to our children.  Children are able to take a book of their choice from the library to enjoy reading at home.

We ensure that readers of all abilities are presented with texts that are challenging for them and allow them to apply the reading skills that they have learnt.  Children choose a school reading book linked to the phonic phases  to read in their 1:1 reading sessions and at home.  These books are all available in each classroom and children can change their books as often as needed.    We have a range of reading scheme books (Oxford Reading Tree, Oxford University Press, Collins Big Cat) which are organised into Phases to match the teaching of our phonics programme.  

We greatly value parent contributions to reading, and we offer parent workshops that enable our parents to learn how to support their children at home and to help them understand how we teach phonics. Parents are also invited into the classrooms to share books with their children.  

Phonics

At The Mead Infant and Nursery School, we follow the phonic programme Little Wandle Letters and Sounds across the EYFS and Key Stage One.  

It is our intent, through our high-quality phonics teaching, that all children will have good phonic knowledge, understanding and skills so that they can decode words confidently and engage with higher order reading and writing skills.

Planning for phonics will be done separately from English but with the understanding that good phonics teaching should link to the literacy needs of the children within an English lesson and across the curriculum.

How do we pronounce phonic sounds?

In resources, you will find some useful videos which show you how to pronounce all the sounds in phase 2 and phase 3 phonics. When your child progresses into phase 5 in year 1, the sounds are pronounced in the same way, but they are alternative spellings e.g "aw" is pronounced the same as "or" in the video. 

Impact 

The impact of our reading curriculum is evident in the confidence, fluency, and enthusiasm with which our pupils approach reading. From the earliest stages in Nursery and Reception, children begin to see themselves as readers, developing a love for books and the written word that continues to grow throughout their time at The Mead Infant and Nursery School.

Through our systematic and consistent approach to phonics using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds, pupils develop strong decoding skills, enabling them to access a wide range of texts. Regular assessment ensures that children are reading books matched to their phonics knowledge, allowing them to experience success and build confidence. As a result, the vast majority of pupils make strong progress in early reading and are well-prepared for the next stage of their education.

Our daily reading routines—including whole-class comprehension sessions, fluency practice, 1:1 reading, and daily story time—ensure that all children are exposed to a rich and varied reading diet. Pupils engage with fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and are able to discuss texts using appropriate vocabulary and comprehension strategies, supported by our focus on VIPERS.

Children demonstrate a genuine enjoyment of reading, fostered by our well-stocked libraries, inviting book corners, and the opportunity to choose books to take home. Our immersive reading environments and regular reading events help to create a culture where reading is celebrated and valued.

Parental engagement is a key strength of our reading provision. Through workshops and shared reading opportunities, parents are empowered to support their children’s reading journey at home, reinforcing the strong home-school partnership that underpins our success.

By the end of Key Stage 1, our pupils are fluent, confident readers who can decode, comprehend, and enjoy a wide range of texts. They leave us with a strong foundation in reading, ready to access the wider curriculum and continue their journey as lifelong readers.

Suggested Reads for Children 

As well as developing children's reading skills through phonics, whole class shared reading and individual reads we want to support our children in developing a love of reading for pleasure. We have devised a year group lists of suggested books to read. Children will encounter these books in school, some will be a stimulus for topic and writing lessons and some are read for the joy of hearing a fabulous story. 

Nursery Suggested Reads

Reception Suggested Reads

Year 1 Suggested Reads

Year 2 Suggested Reads

Boom Readers

At The Mead, we use an online reading diary system called Boom Readers. The new online reading diary has several advantages:

• Unlike a physical reading diary, it cannot be lost.
• It keeps a record of your child’s progress in reading over several years.
• Target sounds and words are easier to view.
• Number of reads during the week can be tracked more easily
• For KS1 whole class reading sessions can be recorded

The videos below are to help with setting up your child’s account and also demonstrates how to use the app. If you need any further help then please do not hesitate to speak to your class teacher.

Please click here for - Setting up via the app

Please click here for - Setting up via Internet browser guide