School Vision: Excellence in learning – Investment in Oracy – Strength in Inclusivity

We love to read at Laurel Lane.

Our Vision: By the time children leave Laurel Lane, they will be familiar with at least 153 high quality texts, and develop a life-long love for reading.  These are a mixture of picture books and longer novels in Key Stage 2.  They are the chosen books for story time at the end of each day.  

To see the comprehensive list, please click on the document link at the bottom of this page.

Rationale

At Laurel Lane we believe that reading is the gateway to learning. We know that children need to be able to read well in order to fully access the wider curriculum, and to be able to experience life in all its fullness. As we are developing a talking school approach, children are given plenty of opportunities to discuss the text that they are reading: this is to develop the vocabulary and understanding of the subtle differences in the way that a sentence is constructed. We believe that developing oracy is key to the success of all children.

Reading is taught in a variety of different ways throughout the school. From Nursery to Year 1 (or where applicable), children are taught Phonics using the Read, Write, Inc strategy. This supports children in becoming fluent and confident readers by the time that they leave Key Stage One. In addition to this, from the spring term Year 1 participate in daily carousel guided reading lessons where they access a text that is appropriately matched to their reading ability with a focus on retrieval skills.

In year groups 2-6, children engage in daily whole class guided reading lessons. Our whole class approach involves children studying extracts from both fiction and non-fiction texts, some of which also support the teaching of topics across foundation subjects. Each lesson focuses on a particular reading skill: vocabulary, retrieval, inference, prediction, sequence and summarise. During these lessons, children are provided with opportunities to develop their fluency through independent and peer reading, whilst also experiencing a high quality modelled read from the class teacher and supporting adults.

Reading is embedded across the curriculum and all children have access to the school library to widen their experiences of a range of genres and texts. At Laurel Lane, we understand the importance of capturing and encouraging children’s love of reading. Therefore, class texts have been selected with consideration given to the children’s interests and current affairs. These texts are read aloud daily by the class teacher for the enjoyment and pleasure of the children listening.

Staff at Laurel Lane recognise that the teaching of reading and reading for pleasure extends beyond the classroom. To ensure that we encourage and promote reading at home we have a wide range of banded fiction and non-fiction texts which the children take home and share and explore with their family, with the expectation that they read aloud with a parent/carer at least four times a week.