Q+A
What is my vision for reading at Henham?
My vision as Reading Lead at Henham is to develop confident and motivated readers. I want all pupils to become deeply engaged with reading and emerge as fluent readers that are well equipped for future learning.
How do we (as teachers) ensure that our subject knowledge is up to date?
One of my first tasks as Reading Subject Lead was to familiarise myself with current and popular children’s books that students across KS1 and KS2 are currently reading. I believe it is important to be up to date with contemporary books and authors as well as acknowledge old classics, in order to provide breadth and depth to our readers of today. I regularly peruse book shops and ask vendors questions about what books and authors are popular amongst children today. This was crucial for me in understanding children’s differing reading identities and finding ways to promote passionate readers that are hooked for life. I myself read regularly and broadly, making sure that I incorporate different genres and reading styles in my repertoire.
How do I (as subject leader) know that teacher’s subject knowledge is up to date?
I give regular staff meetings with specific targets and actions for teachers that are reflective of current guidance and events. For example, at the start of the academic year, I gave all teachers the task of reflecting and re-organising their class reading corners, to ensure that all books are age appropriate, engaging and organised. I also asked teachers to deliver reading identity surveys with their class, to identify what their pupils are currently reading, what their likes and dislikes are, favourite authors and what genres they enjoy. Teachers then had to respond to these results and alter their reading corners to reflect their student’s interests.
Do I (as subject leader) read latest research about my subject?
I am always up to date with the latest government guidance through regular research of forums and discussion groups amongst teachers. One of my favourite forums is Books For Keeps, which keeps me up to date with the latest news and is a fountain of ideas for delivering an outstanding curriculum for reading.
How do I (as subject leader) want my subject to be taught across the school?
I want children to develop a fervent joy and engagement with reading that stays with them for life. Reading for pleasure is one of my biggest passions and I want each and every child to foster a love of books and reading, no matter what form it takes – audio books, comics, non-fiction books, Aquila children’s magazines, novels etc.
I also want children to become confident readers, ready for the challenges that face them in secondary school and beyond. Becoming an able and voracious reader opens the doors for engaging with the wider curriculum. Reading should, therefore, be at the core of our curriculum and children should be exposed to a broad range of text types and genres that reflect our varied and diverse curriculum.
I want Guided Reading sessions to be taught consistently and robustly from Year 1 upwards, ensuring that children read a range of age-appropriate texts and answer VIPERS (Vocabulary, Inference, Predict, Explain, Retrieve and Summarise / Sequence) as our method to explicitly teach each skill. We currently use Fred’s Teaching to aid our Guided Reading lessons: a programme that offers a huge range of high-quality whole class reading resources for KS1 and KS2.
How do I (as subject leader) know how my subject is being taught?
I undertake termly book looks and monitor our classroom environments to gain a whole school insight into how we are teaching and promoting reading. I offer one to one feedback with teachers to ensure they are being heard and supported, as well as give any advice that is in accordance with recent government guidelines. Across both key stages, I gather information from teachers on which of their students need extra support with their reading and how they are also challenging strong readers in their class. I then ensure quality first teaching methods are used to meet these needs. Additionally, I ensure that teachers are undertaking termly pupil surveys, as a way of gaining crucial student feedback on our strengths and weaknesses with how we teach reading at Henham.
How do I (as subject leader) want the subject to look on display boards?
At the start of the academic year, I delivered a staff meeting outlining my requirements for Reading display boards across the school. I wanted displays to reflect their current class book, so that it would be clear to all who walked into that classroom, what they are currently enjoying as a class book. I also wanted displays to be an interactive source with questions and extension tasks that pupils could engage with; answering either verbally or written. I wanted our reading displays to be conducive to promoting discussion and language comprehension. Finally, I wanted our reading displays to show what our pupils and staff are currently reading, as a means of sharing ideas and modelling reading for both students and staff.
Am I (as subject leader) sure that there is a skills development in my subject? How do I know?
We have a comprehensive Reading Progression Map that outlines how reading skills are developed across the school. This map covers the following reading skills: decoding, range of reading, poetry & performance, word meanings, understanding, inference, prediction, authorial intent, non-fiction reading and discussion. All teachers have access to this progression map and use this to help deliver quality first teaching of reading.
How is the subject assessed at Henham?
At Henham, we have recently implemented the critically acclaimed reading programme Accelerated Reader. This programme includes a computer-adaptive baseline assessment called Star Reader. This comprehensive reading test has all the information needed to ensure students reach high levels of literacy through universal screening, progress monitoring and goal setting. We aim to deliver this assessment four times throughout the academic year as it gives teachers crucial data to support their students and their individual needs with reading.
How are children with SEN are supported in your subject?
We use resources that accommodate a range of different learning styles, which is essential when helping SEN students to improve their reading. This may include, visual aids, pictures from storybooks, graphic organisers and photographs. We also ensure one to one reading is undertaken in quiet, calm environments that foster focus and discussion about reading.