Reading

Learning to read

Reading is a key skill for life. It unlocks learning across all subject areas in primary school and beyond. At Leven Valley, we aim for every child to learn to read as soon as they can and to develop a real lifelong love of reading. We use phonics as the primary approach to decoding text, but work with each child on an individual basis to support them in finding the strategies and techniques that work best for them, on their journey to becoming a happy and confident reader.

Direct teaching of phonics takes place every day for all children in Class 1, from the start of the Reception Year. The school uses Twinkl Phonics, a systematic synthetic phonics programme, which supports children's learning through interactive activities, stories, songs and games. The children are taught within groups according to the phase of phonics that they are working on and there are opportunities to practise reading, handwriting and spelling in every lesson.

Children in Class 2 and 3 who require further support in learning to read and write will continue to use a phonics-based approach, alongside other reading and spelling intervention strategies.

We hold a phonics information session for parents each year, in order to help you support your child in learning to read and write.

As children become independent readers and move off the reading scheme books, they transfer to the Accelerated Reader Scheme to continue their development in reading, particularly their comprehension - see below for more details.

Twinkl Phonics Progression Map

Sounds of the English Phonic Code

When teaching synthetic phonics it is really important to make sure that we are demonstrating the sounds correctly, as it makes it much easier for children to blend the sounds together to make words. The video below demonstrates how we can model each sound:

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Early Reading in Class 1

In Class 1 children take home new reading books each week. These books are kept in a book bag and are sent between home and school each day with a notebook for parents and teachers to write comments and celebrate each child’s achievement in reading. In the early stages, children take home a book to share. These are intended for adult- led reading, enabling children to enjoy a range of stories, poems and non-fiction books; explore rhythm and rhyme; join in with repeated phrases and familiar tales; and to enhance their vocabulary. The adults model reading to the child and encourage an early love of books.

As children begin to learn the skills of reading, they take home some decodable books, which have been carefully selected to enable children to practise and apply the skills and knowledge that they have gained through their phonics lessons. In the early stages, the books run alongside or lag behind the teaching of new sounds, so that children feel a sense of achievement when they are asked to read such books. The books also contain common exception words (or ‘tricky words’) which cannot be sounded out using phonics. These words are taught separately in phonics lessons or during 1:1 reading sessions, and can be practised at home with parents using flash cards.

Within each stage there are a variety of different text types, including fiction and non-fiction, poetry and playscripts. This is because we are keen to engage all readers. Different stories and text types appeal to different children and we believe that this variety and choice of books ensures that we garner a real love for reading amongst all our children.

Children read to an adult in school most days, or, as they become more confident readers, enjoy quiet, independent reading time each day.

Helping your child to start reading booklet

An information leaflet with good advice and golden rules about how to help your child start reading from Hamilton Trust.

Helping your child to keep reading booklet

Some good advice and golden rules about how to help your child keep reading from Hamilton Trust

Reading in Class 2 and 3

It is crucial that children have a good understanding of what they are reading, so reading is not taught in isolation, but alongside other language-building activities, including speaking, listening, drama and role-play.

During English lessons, children build directly upon their language comprehension skills. They are taught to develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by discussing and expressing views upon a broad range of text types. They are given lots of opportunities to practise the skills of retrieving and recording information, predicting what might happen next and inferring meaning from the text.

The Accelerated Reader Scheme supports the development of reading and reading comprehension once children move beyond the reading schemes, here is an explanation of how it works:

Accelerated Reader: Boosting Your Child's Reading Power! 🚀

We use the Accelerated Reader (AR) scheme in school to help your child become a stronger, more confident, and enthusiastic reader. It’s a personalised approach that encourages children to read books that are just right for their ability and then checks their understanding in a fun, simple way.

How Does Accelerated Reader Work?

AR is built on a few simple steps:

1. Finding the "Just Right" Book (Star Reading Test) 📚

First, your child takes a short, computer-based assessment called a Star Reading Test. This test doesn't give a traditional score; instead, it determines their ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development).

The ZPD is a numerical range (e.g., 2.5–3.8) that helps your child choose books that are challenging enough to help them grow, but not so hard that they become frustrated. Think of it as their "reading sweet spot"!
Every book in our school library has an AR level printed on the spine or inside cover, making it easy for your child to select books within their ZPD range.

2. Reading the Book 📖

Your child reads the book at their own pace. We encourage them to read at home as well as at school.

3. Taking the Quiz 📝

Once they finish a book, they take a short, multiple-choice AR Quiz on a school computer or tablet.

The quizzes check their comprehension (how well they understood the story or information) and are usually 5, 10, or 20 questions long.
They get a score, which is turned into points. Longer or more difficult books earn more points.

4. Tracking Progress and Earning Rewards 🎉

We closely monitor your child's quiz results and reading habits.

If they score well (usually 85% or above), it shows they are reading well within their ZPD and understanding what they read.
Children earn points for passing quizzes and work towards personalised reading goals. We celebrate their success with rewards, certificates, and recognition!

Why Do We Use Accelerated Reader?

AR is an effective tool that helps us instil a lifelong love of reading:

Personalised Learning: It ensures children are always reading books that match their current ability, guaranteeing success and boosting confidence.
Encourages Understanding: It focuses on comprehension—not just reading words, but truly grasping the meaning of the text.
Motivates Readers: The immediate feedback, points, and rewards system makes reading fun and engaging, turning it into a positive challenge.
Tracks Growth: Teachers get instant data to see how much your child is reading and learning, allowing them to provide targeted support when needed.

How Can You Help at Home?

Your support is vital to your child’s success with AR!

Encourage Daily Reading: Make reading a non-negotiable part of your child’s routine, even if it's only for 10–15 minutes.
Ask Questions: After they read a chapter or a book, ask them about the story. Who was your favourite character? What happened next? Why did that character do that? This helps deepen their comprehension before they take the quiz.
Check Their ZPD: If you are buying books, you can use the AR BookFinder website to check the level of a book against your child's ZPD.
Celebrate Success! Acknowledge their effort and achievements as they earn points and move up the reading levels.

If you have any questions about your child's ZPD or their AR progress, please speak to their class teacher. Happy reading! 📚✨

Reading for pleasure

Each class has a selection of books appropriate for the ages and abilities within the class, which is regularly updated with new and engaging texts that will capture the interest of the children.
We prioritise time in each class to listen to books read by a teacher and to read independently books that the children have chosen themselves.
Reading spaces in school enable children to access a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts, including stories, poems and magazines.
The 'Reading Roost' (school library) has a broad selection of non-fiction books aimed at all ages and this can be used to support topic work and allow children to undertake independent and guided research. We provide regular opportunities for the children to visit the library and explore their own interests.
We also have an RE library that children can visit and choose a book to read in free-reading time.
In addition to this, we receive excellent sets of topic books, linked to each class’s theme every term, from the county’s library service as well as regular themed boxes from CDEC.
The library bus visits school on a numbero of occasions each year and gives children the opportunity to choose their own books to add to the class’s collection.
Special events, such as World Book Day, and regular paired reading sessions across the key stages, help to develop a culture in which reading is celebrated and enjoyed across the school.