Reading

Reading is a priority at Fairfield, within the curriculum and beyond. We know that pupils’ ability to read and express themselves will determine how successful they are at school and in later life. It is the foundation for all learning and as such, we prioritise progress in reading for all learners. Improving pupils’ ability to read is the responsibility of every teacher, and therefore it is embedded throughout the Fairfield curriculum.

For most, our ambitious curriculum offer, and reading for pleasure programme is enough for them to thrive and make expected reading progress or better.  Where reading attainment gaps exist, we seek to narrow that gap as quickly and as effectively as possible through a staged intervention process. 

Universal Reading Curriculum

We are deliberate about our reading curriculum, ensuring that across every subject area, teachers know how to support pupils with reading comprehension, acquiring vocabulary and increasing fluency, and we have carefully planned a reading curriculum which is challenging and builds subject specific knowledge as well as cultural capital.

All pupils in KS3 have a fortnightly library lesson where they have access to a well-stocked library of books that they can borrow to read at home, and where classes share a class reader for pleasure as part of their English curriculum. In addition to this physical library, all pupils have access to SORA and are encouraged to borrow ebooks and audiobooks. Whilst national trends are seeing a decline in reading enjoyment amongst teenagers, we continue to find ways to ignite our pupils’ interest in reading with shared opportunities to read in form time, in English and across the curriculum; we encourage independent reading through extra-curricular experiences linked to reading (such as trips to Stratford Upon Avon and the Bronte Parsonage Museum), regular reading recommendations, sponsored readathons and reading challenges throughout the year.

LITERACY Across The Curriculum

In lessons, teachers must use a wide range of disciplinary literacy teaching strategies to support pupils learning of the curriculum and their literacy skills.

The subject curriculum must include regular opportunities for pupils to engage with challenging texts that are central to each discipline. In line with the Education Endowment Foundation’s recommendations, we recognise that reading is not a generic skill but one that varies across subjects. Therefore, teachers will provide structured opportunities for students to read, interpret, and discuss texts that reflect the language, conventions, and demands of their subject area. 

Teachers should use evidence-based strategies to build reading fluency, such as: 

  • Teacher modelling – demonstrating fluent reading with correct pace, tone, and expression. 
  • Choral reading – practising fluency together as a class. 
  • Paired reading – students support each other to improve confidence and accuracy. 
  • Echo reading – pupils repeat passages after the teacher to reinforce rhythm and phrasing. 
  • Repeated reading – practising passages multiple times to build automaticity and comprehension.

Pupils should also have regular opportunities for independent reading to apply strategies and build resilience. 

Pupils should be supported to read in class using the Fairfield Reading Routine. Teachers should prepare for reading tasks by considering: 

  • The complexity of the text and how much support pupils may need 
  • How to activate prior knowledge 
  • Which vocabulary will need to be taught 
  • Which reading strategy will be used (teacher modelling, pair, choral, echo, repeated etc) 
  • How understanding of the text will be checked 

Step 1: Before 
Activate knowledge or pre-teach ideas or vocabulary to aid comprehension of the text before you begin. 
 
Step 2: During 

  1. Where possible, pupils should have their own copy of the text. 
  2. Where possible, the teacher should display the text on the board under the visualiser to allow pupils to track the reading. 
  3. Pupils sit up straight. 
  4. Pupils place the book or text flat on the desk. 
  5. Pupils follow the text with either a ruler, their finger or a pen. 
  6. Teachers monitor that pupils are tracking the text by regularly scanning the room.
  7. Teachers pause regularly to check for understanding and to offer further explanation. 

Step 3: After 
Check for overall understanding and consolidate learning after reading a text 

Faculties must identify the core vocabulary to be taught in each unit of work. The SEEU model should be used to explicitly teach vocabulary and SEEU models should be evident in schemes of learning.

Oracy, learning to talk, and learning through talk are vital for developing confident communicators who can think critically, express ideas clearly, and engage meaningfully in learning across all subjects. Teachers should plan a variety of oracy opportunities into lessons. These should be supported by the use of Voice 21 strategies and could include: 

  • Turn and Talk  
  • Group discussion  
  • Discussion guidelines 
  • Talk tactics 
  • Sentence stems  

Reading Intervention

As part of our induction process, pupils complete National Group Reading Tests (NGRTs) which are repeated annually throughout the five years at Fairfield. Depending on the outcome of the reading test, suitable interventions are put in place to boost reading progress with additional tests including YARC tests and intervention-specific screening tests used to carefully select the correct intervention pathway for each individual. Reading interventions are offered to those with average reading scores and below average reading scores because we know that strong readers have higher GCSE outcomes and, as adults, have higher average incomes.

Interventions for Boosting Reading Outcomes

Reading Partners: younger readers are paired with older readers who act as reading mentors, hearing them read on a weekly basis and supporting them with maintaining good reading habits outside of school.

Library one to one reading: for those who need it, we support reading on a one to one basis with additional members of staff supporting library lessons.

Lexonik Leap: a phonics based intervention which fills the phonological gaps in some pupils’ knowledge that hinders their reading ability.

Rapid Reader Plus: a reading programme that supports comprehension through a structured approach to reading.

Inference training: a reading intervention that focuses on developing inference skills which are so key to comprehension.

Fluency Training: a reading intervention that allows pupils to become more fluent readers, which, in turn, allows them to focus their working memory on comprehension, not decoding.

Lexonik Advance: a vocabulary intervention that trains learners to develop phonological awareness and make links between unknown words using common prefix, root word and suffix definitions in order to understand more of a text than they would otherwise be able to comprehend.

Reading comprehension training: an intervention which utilises the structure of reciprocal reading to develop comprehension of a text.

Reading at Home

We very much encourage pupils to read regularly at home – we know that many parents and carers also do this. Reading can be a relaxing and pleasurable pastime that can aid pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. As a parent, you can play an important role in encouraging and supporting your child to read at home by encouraging them to read regularly, ideally every day, and asking them about what they are reading and if they can predict what they think may happen. Reading to and with your child at home, as much as you can, also has a huge impact.