The active encouragement of reading for pleasure should be the core part of every child’s educational entitlement, whatever their background or attainment, as extensive reading and exposure to a wide range of texts makes a huge contribution to pupils’ educational achievement.  Our children have an opportunity to read books from a variety of schemes. 

Reading Ambassadors

The children will be working with the school council to ensure that reading is always at the top of the school council agenda.

On Friday 9th January 2024, our reading ambassadors attending training to learn how to share their passion for reading with the other children in school. They were enthusiastic about discussing the books that they have recently read and sharing the reasons why they would recommend these to other children. 

Our approach to the teaching of reading

At Betley CE Primary School, children are given the opportunity and encouragement to read independently in order to build confidence, stamina and fluency, as well as to develop their experience of a range of books and authors.

Children have access to a wide range of books including fiction and non-fiction via the school library, class libraries and a progressive, structured book banded reading scheme.

All children in Reception to Year 6, will have a reading book to take home. The level of the books they read will be informed by ongoing teacher assessment linked to National Curriculum levels. All children will also have a reading record in which both their home and school reading will be logged.

Children’s individual reading will be monitored by their class teacher and teaching assistants. Each time a child reads at home, a comment can be written in the reading record. Where children do not read regularly at home, teachers will arrange for them to read individually at school to parent helpers or teaching assistants.

Hints on helping with reading at home

As a parent, you can play an important role in helping your child learn to read. Research shows that children who are helped at home make better progress in school. Reading with your child can be fun and very rewarding. It also shows that you value their efforts. If children enjoy reading, it will benefit their whole education. They are also more likely to carry on reading as adults.

Useful questions to ask when hearing your child read

Reception, Year 1 and Year 2

• Who is in the story?
• Where is the story set?
• Can you use the pictures to tell part of the story?
• How do you think the story will end?
• What will happen next?
• Do you like the characters? Why?
• What happens in the story?
• What did the characters say? Why?
• How did a character scare, upset or help another character?
• Has this ever happened to you? How did you feel?
• Did the story make you think of something that has happened to you or someone you know?
• Can you put the main events in order?
• How would you feel at this point in the story?
• What would you do?
• How do you think a character feels?
• Why did a character do/say something in the text?
• How did a character in the book help/upset another in the story? Why?
• What advice would you give the characters?

Year 3 and Year 4

• Can you explain why you think a character did that in the story?
• What does this word/phrase tell you about the character or setting?
• What does the word ‘X’ tell us about ‘Y’?
• Find two ways in which the writer tells you about an event/setting/character/theme?
• Which words did you like the most? Why?
• In the story ‘X’ is mentioned a lot. Why?
• What other words/phrases could the writer have used?
• What do you think the writer meant by writing ‘X’?
• Which words do you think are the most important in this sentence/paragraph/page? Why?

Year 5 and Year 6

• What did that character mean when they said ‘X’?
• Are the character’s actions a surprise or what you expected?
• Why is that character surprised/scared/excited/angry?
• Explain the character’s actions or reactions to events in the story?
• What clues are there in the story to show that that character is happy/angry/sad/excited etc?
• What do you think this character thinks or another character? Why?
• How did the writer make you think this?
• Has the writer been successful in creating a setting/mood/character/theme?
• What else could they have done?
• Choose a passage from the text describing a particular event and question the children on the atmosphere before and after the event.
• Describe different character’s reactions to the same event?
• Who is the ‘voice’ in the text?
• Which character does the writer want you to like or dislike? How have they done this?
• What do you think will happen because of a character’s actions/dialogue/thoughts?

Assessing Quizzes Online

When children can read fluently and independently, they start the Accelerated Reader programme. Accelerated Reader is an online programme linked to a vast collection of books available in our library. The purpose of these reading books is to further develop and sustain a love of reading.

Accelerated Reader works by identifying a child’s ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) which is a selection of books that will not only match their reading ability but will also challenge and develop their vocabulary. Every half term, the children take a short ‘Star Reader’ test which identifies their ZPD. Children can then choose books from the school library that fall within this ZPD range. Our children are provided with opportunities to read their books daily in school and there is an expectation that the children read at least four times a week at home. When the children finish their book, they take a short online quiz. The quiz checks that the children have read and understood the book.  It also enables teachers to closely monitor individual reading progress and ensure that children are selecting books which are challenging enough to meet their individual needs.