Our curriculum is built on the research of Mary Myatt, Tim Rasinski, and the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) to cultivate a deep, lifelong love of books to ensure every child becomes a confident, critical, and enthusiastic reader. It is underpinned by a framework of Reading Objectives. This ensures that, from EYFS to Year 6, children are systematically taught the specific vocabulary, retrieval, and inference skills required.

Reading Spine

We ensure every child is exposed to a rich "literary diet" that includes archaic language, non-linear plots, and texts that explore complex social issues. This diverse selection challenges perspectives, builds a sophisticated vocabulary, and prepares pupils for the rigours of secondary education.

Fast-Paced Text

Every day for 15 minutes, teachers read high-quality novels aloud at a brisk pace. Based on Mary Myatt’s research, this "high challenge, low threat" approach models expert expression and allows all children to access sophisticated plots regardless of their current reading level. Data shows this can improve reading ages by up to 16 months by repositioning all pupils as engaged, successful book-lovers.

To find out more, click here

Fluency

Once children secure their foundational phonics, they transition into our Fluency groups. This approach, championed by Tim Rasinski, focusses on the "bridge" between decoding and comprehension. Through repeated reading, choral reading, and performance, children master prosody (expression), volume, and phrasing. By automating these skills, their cognitive load is freed up to focus entirely on the meaning and enjoyment of the text.

To find out more, click here.

Reciprocal Reading

For our fluent readers, we use the EEF-evidenced strategy of Reciprocal Reading. This collaborative approach empowers children to take ownership of their learning by adopting four key roles: Predictor, Questioner, Clarifier, and Summariser. This transforms reading from a passive act into a dynamic investigation of the text. Please click the buttons below for support with this strategy at home.

To find out more about Reciprocal Reading, click here. 

Star Readers

To ensure our students are consistently stretched, we have introduced our ‘Star Readers’ collection—a set of sophisticated texts specifically selected to challenge the vocabulary, stamina, and analytical skills of our Greater Depth learners.

They provide a diverse "literary diet" that blends contemporary masterpieces with works containing archaic language and complex narrative structures. By engaging with these high-level text types, pupils build linguistic resilience and sophisticated vocabulary to be fully ready for secondary education and beyond.

Reading Champions

Our Year 6 leaders act as mentors, sharing stories with younger pupils in our beautiful outdoor classroom, building a school-wide community where reading is celebrated by all.

Library

The library at our school offers a space for children to interact with books in a meaningful and positive way. In KS1 the children may visit in groups or as a whole class to learn how to care for our library and choose appropriate books. In KS2, children visit in small groups while other children have time to read 1-1 with adults or complete gap tasks.

For information regarding policies, please visit our policy page here.

Please find overviews and other related documents below.