At Westwood Academy, we want our children to:
- Become fluent, confident and expressive readers who have both the skill and the will to read effectively
- Read with enjoyment across a range of genres
- Read for pleasure as well as for information
- Read and respond to a wide range of different types of literature
- Understand layout and how to use different genres and text types
- Understand and apply their knowledge of phonics and spelling patterns and use this to decode words with accuracy
- Build their bank of sight words to enable fluent reading
- Have an interest in words and their meanings, developing a rich and varied vocabulary
- Understand and respond to literature drawn from a range of cultures and literary heritage.
At Westwood Academy, we aim for all our children to become fluent, confident readers who are passionate about reading. Children who read regularly or are read to regularly have the opportunity to open the doors to so many different worlds! Reading will give your child the tools to become independent life-long learners.
Strategies and Aims for reading at Westwood
- A commitment to linking reading with writing
- Daily phonics lessons using Read, Write Inc
- Phonics intervention groups lead by skilled teaching assistants in each class where needed for the bottom 20% readers
- Reading of texts linked to topic work
- Daily ‘Class Reader’ in which the class teacher reads stories to the class to promote a love of reading and model fluency
- Weekly library visit
- Attractive reading areas around school
- Books promoted around school (Including our very own Westwood authors in the library!)
- Laying the foundation for a love of reading in the Early Years, with weekly Family Reading Fridays
- World Book Day and year round reading curriculum involving local authors, book fairs, storytellers and a range of book related activities
- Extra activities to raise the profile of reading, linked to different themes
At Westwood Academy, we are a Read Write Inc school.
Phonics after Early Years
At Westwood Academy, we use the Read Write Inc phonics programme to help all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling.
The children are assessed by the RWI lead teacher and grouped according to their ability. Small group phonics lessons are taught daily by trained staff and there are consistent expectations across the range of abilities. At the end of each half term the children are assessed to check on their progress and regrouped.
Children learn sounds in school which help them to read and write. They then practise these skills through reading ‘Book Bag Books’ at home which are specifically pitched to both consolidate learning and provide challenge in an engaging and fun way! This is what they look like:
Fred Talk
We use pure sounds (‘m’ not’ muh’,’s’ not ‘suh’, etc) so that your child will be able to blend the sounds into words more easily. Fred 
is our Read, Write Inc. friend. He can only speak in sounds, so we help him learn to say words instead of sounds. For example, Fred says ’m-a-t’ instead of mat. We also teach him not to add ‘uh’ to our sounds to keep them pure. For example, we say ’c’ and not ‘cuh’.
Reading
Children will:
- learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letters/letter groups using simple picture prompts
- learn to read words using sound blending
- read lively stories featuring words they have learned to sound out
- after meaningful discussion led by an adult, children show that they comprehend the stories by answering questions
Writing
Children will:
- learn to write the letters/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds
- learn to write words by saying the sounds and graphemes
- learn to build sentences orally using adventurous vocabulary
- start with simple sentences and develop towards more complex ones by the end of the programme
Talking
Children work in pairs so that they:
- answer every question
- practise every activity with their partner
- take turns in talking to each other
Key Stage 2
At Westwood Academy, we have developed a systematic and coherent approach to whole-class reading following the transition from Read Write Inc. Our lesson structure is designed to incorporate all aspects of VIPERS, ensuring that pupils engage daily in reading and applying these essential skills.
We carefully select texts that align with our pupils’ current or upcoming learning topics. This strategic choice serves as a pre-teaching tool, reducing cognitive load.
Lesson structure
Each lesson begins with a Flashback session, allowing pupils to recall prior learning. This is followed by the introduction of new vocabulary linked to the text.
- Echo Reading– Pupils repeat after the teacher, improving their fluency and pronunciation.
- Choral Reading– The entire class reads aloud together, with a focus on rhythm and pacing.
- Partner Reading– Pupils take turns tracking and reading a page from the text at a time.
VIPERS skills:
The teacher models a VIPERS skill, providing clear examples and explanations. This guidance ensures pupils are well-prepared to transition to independent practice.
Throughout these activities, the teacher facilitates discussions and provides feedback, guiding students to apply VIPERS skills in context. By offering daily opportunities for practice and application, we help pupils develop fluency, confidence, and a love for reading.
Impact
As we believe that reading is key to all learning, the impact of our reading curriculum goes beyond the result of statutory assessments. Children have the opportunity to enter the wide and varied worlds that reading opens up to them. As they develop their own interest in books, a deep love of literature across a range of genres, cultures and styles is encouraged and nurtured.
Through the teaching of systematic phonics and reading skills, our aim is for children to become fluent and confident readers who can apply their knowledge and experience to a range of texts through the Key Stage 2 curriculum and into Key Stage 3, 4 and beyond.
A Year 6 reader, transitioning into secondary school, will be a fluent, confident and able reader, who can access a range of texts for pleasure and enjoyment, as well as use their reading skills to unlock learning across all areas of the curriculum.