Our Vision

Reading is the gateway to all learning. At Radcliffe-on-Trent Junior School, we aim to develop fluent, confident readers who think deeply about texts, communicate their ideas and develop a lifelong love of reading.

Reading sits at the heart of everything we do. Our approach combines explicit teaching of fluency, close reading of high-quality texts, vocabulary development, comprehension teaching and, crucially, Reading for Pleasure.

Our aim is for every child to become a reader who reads because they want to, discovers books that interest them and sees books as something to enjoy, explore and ultimately love.

Reading for Pleasure

Reading for pleasure sits at the heart of our reading curriculum, and we see ourselves first and foremost as reading teachers. We know that a teacher with a rich, current knowledge of children's books is far better placed to recommend the right book to the right child. We firmly believe there is no such thing as a reluctant reader — only a child who hasn't yet found the right book. Our shared mission is to make sure every child finds theirs. Sometimes it only takes one book to hook a reader for life.

To give our children the richest possible reading diet, our reading subject leader works alongside our librarians and teaching staff to choose the texts that line our shelves. Our teachers' deep knowledge of quality children's literature ensures our library and classroom book corners are filled with the very best books, and children can also recommend books they'd like to see added to the library.

This ethos runs through every part of school life. Every class has protected daily reading time, and a class reader shared aloud, building a community of readers. The children design and care for our reading corners, and our Scholastic Book Fair raises money to restock them. Pupil recommendations help children discover new books, and regular library visits keep our stock fresh and representative. We celebrate reading together through World Book Day, virtual author visits and our monthly newsletter, The Radcliffe Reader. Every member of staff shares their own reading life and recommends books to children, modelling the joy of reading.

How We Teach Reading in School

Fluency is a key priority in our reading provision. We use strategies informed by Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) guidance on reading fluency and the work of Dr Tim Rasinski. These approaches help children become more accurate, confident and expressive readers. As reading becomes more fluent, children are better placed to understand what they read, engage with increasingly challenging texts and enjoy their reading.

Fluency reading is taught whole-class through a consistent weekly cycle. Each week, children read and revisit the same high-quality text across five days — building familiarity with vocabulary, structure and meaning, and moving beyond decoding towards deeper understanding.

Across the week, the cycle moves through text marking (exploring phrasing, punctuation and expression), fluency and vocabulary work (building accuracy, automaticity and word knowledge), Reading Theatre (developing expression, prosody and confidence through performance), a focused VIPERS comprehension skill, and finally comprehension questions where children apply their skills independently.

Our approach to comprehension is supported by VIPERS:

• Vocabulary: Understanding the meaning and effect of words and phrases.

• Inference: Reading between the lines and using evidence to explain ideas.

• Prediction: Using clues from the text to anticipate what might happen.

• Explain: Exploring and explaining an author's choices and their effects.

• Retrieval: Locating and selecting information from a text.

• Summarise and sequence: Identifying key information and organising events or ideas.

Early Reading Support

Every child in Year 3 or above who cannot read at age-related expectations receives immediate, targeted support. Reading fluency is the gateway to the entire curriculum — without it, children cannot fully access learning.

We use Little Wandle Rapid Catch-up for children who are not yet secure in their phonics knowledge. It mirrors the main phonics structure but moves at a faster pace, designed to help older children close the gap quickly. Any child reading below the expected standard is assessed immediately and receives small group or individual sessions that are fast-paced and engaging, with vocabulary built into every session so children not only decode words but understand them. Our goal is for every child to read with sufficient fluency and accuracy to fully access the curriculum and build confidence for secondary school.

Reading at Home

We ask children to read at home at least four times each week. Reading can include a book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet or e-book. The most important thing is that children read regularly and have opportunities to discuss what they have read.

Please record the date and title of the text in your child's reading diary each time they read. You can add a comment or simply initial the entry to confirm that reading has taken place. Children can also record their own reading.

Teachers check reading diaries weekly, and home reads signed by an adult count towards the four weekly reads. Children who achieve four home reads earn a sticker on the reading chart. If your child is not reading regularly at home, their teacher will contact you to offer support.

Please send your child's reading book and reading diary to school every day. This helps us record reading completed with an adult or during a guided group.

Choosing the Right Book: Accelerated Reader

Accelerated Reader (AR) is one tool we use to support children's independent reading. It helps us identify a suitable level of challenge for independent reading and provides some information about a child's understanding of books they have read.

Following an assessment, children receive a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) range. This helps guide their choice of an AR book that offers an appropriate level of challenge without causing unnecessary frustration. After finishing an AR book, children can complete a short quiz to demonstrate their understanding of that particular text.

Quiz results can provide useful information about children's engagement with independent reading and their understanding of individual books. Teachers can use this information alongside other evidence to monitor progress and identify where further support may be helpful.

Reading Aloud at Home

We know home life is busy, and older children can be reluctant to read aloud. But hearing your child read — even just a page while you're cooking or washing up — makes a big difference. Fluency, expression, and intonation are skills all readers need to keep practising.

Three Ways to Read Together

Sometimes a book is too hard for your child to read alone — this is a good opportunity for you to read it with them, modelling fluent, expressive reading and showing that reading is enjoyable. If they can read some parts but not all, you can read together, taking turns, reading tricky parts, or pausing for them to finish sentences. And if they can read it independently, they can read it by themselves — a chance for you to celebrate their achievement and talk about the book together.

Some questions to spark book talk: What happened in the story? Where could we find out more about that? What did you learn? Why do you think that character did that? Why did the author choose that title? How did the pictures help tell the story?