Reading
Intent
At our school, we believe that reading is the foundation of all learning and a vital life skill that enables children to succeed academically and beyond. Our reading curriculum is designed to develop enthusiastic, confident and skilled readers who read widely, think critically and develop a lifelong love of reading.
Using Literacy Shed Plus as a core teaching resource, we provide children with access to high-quality, engaging and diverse texts that inspire curiosity, imagination and meaningful discussion. Carefully selected fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts expose pupils to a rich variety of authors, themes, cultures and perspectives, helping them to develop empathy, broaden their understanding of the world and appreciate the power of language.
Through structured reading lessons, children are taught to become fluent, expressive readers who can read accurately and with understanding. The Literacy Shed Plus reading units support the progressive development of key comprehension skills, enabling pupils to retrieve information, infer meaning, predict outcomes, explain ideas, summarise key points and discuss the author's intent and language choices. Throughout both key stages, our children become familiar with each of the VIPERS elements.
Vocabulary - Children are taught to draw upon knowledge of word meanings in order to understand the text. This may also include finding and explaining the meaning of words in the context of what they have read.
Inference - To infer is to find meaning that is not made explicit in the text. Children will use their understanding of a wide range of prior experiences to make sense of events in what they see and read. As children get more confident, they should start to increasingly back these inferences up with evidence from the text. They may paraphrase or even directly quote to justify what they think.
Prediction - Children are encouraged to predict what they think might happen based on the events so far and details that are implied in the text. The emphasis here is not to necessarily be right – if all books were predictable, that could become very dull – but to engage with the plot and actively think about where the journey of the story might go.
Explain - Children are encouraged to explain their preferences, thoughts and opinions about a text. As they get more confident, children should also be able to explain themes and patterns across a text as well as why authors have made certain choices and the impact of these on the overall effect of the writing.
Retrieve - This skill concerns finding and recording information located in the text. It tends to cover some of the more straightforward and closed questions that don’t require as much inference (often beginning with who, what, when and where).
Sequence/Summarise - Children are taught to recap the events of a narrative and put them in order (sequence) or sum them up (summarise). This can be an effective way to remind children of the story so far in a longer text or to build familiarity with a shorter book or traditional tale.
We aim to ensure that all children read for meaning and pleasure. By engaging with high-quality texts and thought-provoking questions, pupils learn to justify their opinions, respond critically to what they have read and make meaningful connections between texts, their own experiences and the wider world.
Our reading curriculum also seeks to develop children's vocabulary and oral language skills. Through exposure to ambitious language and rich literary experiences, pupils acquire the vocabulary and communication skills needed to become effective readers, writers and lifelong learners.
Implementation
- Our youngest children, through our Bug Club scheme, use phonetically decodable books that are matched directly to the child’s phonological awareness.
- The books the children read are phonetically progressive and are matched to the book banding system.
- Our children have the opportunity to take part in one-to-one reading with an adult (including our brilliant team of volunteer readers), guided reading and whole class reading across a variety of different curriculum areas.
- Teachers share their love of reading and model reading skills at every possible opportunity.
- Reading lessons are designed to explicitly teach and develop the key comprehension skills of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation and summarising.
- Teachers model reading strategies and facilitate high-quality discussions, enabling pupils to engage critically with texts and deepen their understanding.
- Alongside whole-class reading, pupils access appropriately matched reading books to develop fluency, accuracy and stamina.
- Reading is further promoted through classroom reading environments, reading events, book recommendations and our whole-school reading initiative – Reading Champions.
- Assessment for learning is woven throughout reading lessons, allowing teachers to identify misconceptions, provide targeted support and ensure all pupils make progress.
Rewarding those that read for pleasure - our READING CHAMPIONS!
Our Reading Champions reward scheme plays a key role in promoting a culture of reading for pleasure across the school. By celebrating pupils' commitment to reading, the aim is to motivate children to read regularly both at school and at home, helping to develop positive reading habits and a lifelong love of books.
Through Reading Champions, pupils are recognised and rewarded for their enthusiasm, effort and engagement with reading. The scheme encourages children to explore a wide range of texts, share recommendations with their peers and take pride in their reading achievements.
As a result, pupils are increasingly motivated to read independently, discuss books with confidence and view reading as an enjoyable and valuable part of everyday life.
Our Reading Champions are easily recognisable - look out for their bronze, silver and gold badges!
reading rewards at st mark.pdf
Progression of Skills (VIPERS)
year 1 vipers reading skills.pdf
year 2 vipers reading skills.pdf
year 3 vipers reading skills.pdf
year 4 vipers reading skills docx.pdf
year 5 vipers reading skills.pdf
year 6 vipers reading skills.pdf
Reading Impact
The implementation of VIPERS reading has had a significant positive impact on pupils' reading comprehension and engagement with texts across the school. The structured approach has provided a clear and consistent framework for teaching the key comprehension skills of Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Summarising/Sequencing.
Pupils are now able to discuss texts with greater confidence, using appropriate reading terminology and supporting their answers with evidence from the text. Teachers report improved levels of pupil participation during reading sessions, with children demonstrating deeper understanding and more sophisticated responses to a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts.
The progressive nature of VIPERS has enabled staff to identify specific strengths and areas for development within individual reading skills, allowing targeted intervention and support.
The consistent use of VIPERS throughout the school has ensured continuity and progression between year groups, supporting pupils in becoming more independent, reflective and analytical readers. As a result, children are better equipped to access the wider curriculum, demonstrating enhanced language development, critical thinking skills and a greater enjoyment of reading.
Inclusion and support for all readers
We are dedicated to ensuring that every pupil develops the skills, confidence and enjoyment needed to become a successful reader. This includes providing tailored support for pupils who may require additional help, including those with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those who are at the early stages of reading development.
Our support strategies include:
- Early identification of pupils who would benefit from additional reading support
- Targeted reading fluency interventions following the completion of phonics teaching
- Pre-teaching of key vocabulary to enhance understanding and participation in whole-class reading sessions
- Structured questioning and scaffolded discussions to support comprehension
- Additional adult guidance and support where needed
For pupils who are already confident readers, we provide appropriate challenge through high-quality, ambitious texts, rich discussion opportunities and activities that encourage deeper analysis and the use of evidence to justify interpretations.