Intent

At Wessex Gardens Primary School, we believe that reading is the key to unlocking a child’s potential, broadening their understanding of the world, and developing their communication skills. Our reading curriculum is designed to:

• Develop a lifelong love of reading by exposing children to a diverse range of high-quality literature.
• Ensure every child becomes a confident and fluent reader, enabling them to access the full curriculum and succeed academically.
• Equip pupils with strong comprehension skills using structured approaches such as VIPERS to enhance vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval, and summarising/sequencing.
• Promote reading for pleasure, recognising the link between motivation, fluency, and enjoyment in reading.
• Encourage home-school partnerships, helping parents and carers support their child’s reading journey.

Reading is embedded across the curriculum, providing children with regular opportunities to engage with high-quality texts that inspire curiosity, imagination, and critical thinking.

Implementation

We take a systematic and structured approach to reading through:

Daily Phonics and Early Reading

• In EYFS and Key Stage 1, phonics is taught using Bug Club Phonics to ensure children develop secure word recognition and decoding skills.
• Decodable books are carefully matched to each child’s phonics level to build confidence and fluency.

VIPERS Comprehension Approach

• In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, reading comprehension is explicitly taught using VIPERS (Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval, and Summarising/Sequencing).
• VIPERS provides a structured framework for understanding and discussing texts across all subjects.

Daily Reading Opportunities

• Every child reads independently, in guided reading sessions, and is read to daily by an adult.
• Story time is planned to expose children to a wide range of literature, fostering enjoyment and listening skills.

Developing Reading Fluency and Stamina

• Pupils re-read books to build fluency, expression, and confidence.
• Shared and guided reading sessions develop decoding, comprehension, and discussion skills.

Reading Across the Curriculum

• Carefully chosen texts are used in history, science, geography, and other subjects to enhance pupils’ understanding and vocabulary.

Access to High-Quality Texts

• Our well-stocked library and class book corners provide a range of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry to engage all readers.

Encouraging Home Reading

• We promote daily reading at home and provide parents with reading workshops, coffee mornings, and guidance materials to support their child’s reading development.

Targeted Support and Intervention

• Pupils who need additional support receive daily interventions, such as one-to-one or small-group reading sessions, to ensure all children make progress.

Impact

Our reading curriculum ensures that:

• Children become fluent and confident readers, able to access and enjoy a wide range of texts.
• Pupils develop strong comprehension skills, enabling them to think critically and engage meaningfully with literature.
• Reading enjoyment and motivation increase, leading to greater stamina, fluency, and willingness to read widely.
• Parents feel empowered to support their child’s reading journey, reinforcing the home-school reading partnership.
• Reading is embedded across all subjects, enriching learning experiences and supporting vocabulary development.

By prioritising reading at Wessex Gardens, we equip our pupils with the skills, knowledge, and passion for reading that will support their academic success and personal growth throughout their lives.

The posters below are displayed in each classroom.