Reading at Our School

At Denby Free, reading is taught with clarity, consistency and care. We believe that children become confident, lifelong readers when they are taught to read systematically and then given opportunities to apply, practise and enjoy their reading independently.

Our approach is rooted in strong early reading provision and develops into a rich, supportive reading culture throughout the school.

Early reading and phonics

In the early stages of reading, we follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds phonics programme.

This ensures that:

• children learn to decode accurately and fluently
• reading books are fully matched to the sounds they know
• children experience early success and confidence as readers

Children continue to receive phonics or fluency support for as long as they need it.

Independent reading in KS2

As children move beyond fully decodable books, reading develops in new ways.

In Key Stage 2, children are encouraged to:

• apply their phonics knowledge automatically
• build fluency and stamina
• deepen comprehension
• develop a genuine love of reading

At this stage, books are no longer tightly levelled. Instead, children are supported to make thoughtful choices.

Trusting readers - “We trust readers, and we support them.”

We trust children to become responsible, reflective readers.

Our book collections are organised into broad reading ranges rather than fixed levels.

These ranges help children choose books that:

• they can read independently
• they can understand and talk about
• they enjoy and want to finish

Children are encouraged to explore a wide range of texts, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, graphic novels and books chosen purely for pleasure.

They are not labelled or restricted, and they are not “stuck” in one category.

Supporting every child

Trust is always matched with support.

Adults:

• know children well as readers
• talk regularly with them about their books
• guide choices when a book is too difficult or not supporting progress
• encourage appropriate challenge over time

Support is given through conversation and guidance, not purely based on the results of testing. We want our children to love what they read!

Reading for pleasure and progress

We believe that reading for pleasure and reading for progress are inseparable.

Children who read widely and often:

• become more fluent
• develop richer vocabulary
• understand texts more deeply
• grow in confidence and independence

Across the school, you will see children who:

• enjoy choosing books
• talk enthusiastically about what they read
• show increasing stamina and maturity as readers

Our aim

Our aim is for every child to leave our school as a reader who:

• can decode and read fluently
• understands what they read
• chooses to read for pleasure
• feels confident and supported as a reader