Reading

Reading at Our Lady of the Rosary

At Our Lady of the Rosary, we believe that reading is at the heart of learning and opens the door to a lifetime of curiosity and imagination. Our reading curriculum provides every child with the skills, confidence, and enjoyment needed to become fluent, thoughtful readers. We teach reading systematically and consistently, using approaches that develop fluency, understanding, and a genuine love of books.

Our Approach to Teaching Reading

Reading is taught progressively from Nursery to Year 6, following a carefully planned sequence that ensures every child develops word reading, comprehension, and a passion for stories.

In the Early Years and Key Stage 1, reading is taught through daily Little Wandle phonics sessions, supported by small-group reading practice sessions that focus on decoding, prosody, and comprehension. This structured approach enables pupils to apply their phonics knowledge to increasingly challenging texts. Pupils read books matched to their phonics level to ensure success and build confidence.

In Key Stage 2, pupils continue to read widely and often, engaging with high-quality texts through whole-class reading lessons that explore vocabulary, structure, and meaning. Teachers model fluent reading and support pupils to develop the skills to discuss, infer, and reflect on what they read.

Children who need additional support receive targeted interventions, including Little Wandle Rapid Catch-Up or Literacy for All, to secure fluency and understanding. All children read regularly with adults in school, and those not yet meeting age-related expectations have additional 1:1 or small-group reading sessions.

Retrieval opportunities are built into lessons across all year groups to strengthen vocabulary, reinforce comprehension, and help pupils make connections between texts and ideas.

Reading for Pleasure

At Our Lady of the Rosary, we believe that every child should experience the joy of reading. Reading for pleasure is central to our approach, with daily storytime in every class where pupils listen to high-quality texts read aloud by their teachers. These sessions help children to encounter new vocabulary, explore diverse authors, and develop empathy through stories.

Our school library provides a welcoming space where children can discover books that match their interests and inspire curiosity. Class book corners are regularly refreshed to reflect the topics being studied and the authors pupils enjoy. Children from across the school act as Reading Ambassadors, helping to recommend books and promote reading across the school.

We also work in partnership with families to foster a love of reading beyond the classroom. In Nursery and Reception, our Stay, Play and Read sessions invite parents to join their children in shared story experiences, modelling the importance of reading at home and celebrating its role in early learning. Family reading challenges and book-sharing events encourage reading as a shared pleasure within the school community.

Continuing the Journey

As pupils move through Our Lady of the Rosary, they develop both the skill and the joy of reading. They leave as confident, motivated readers, equipped with the strategies to read for knowledge, imagination, and pleasure throughout their education and beyond.