Reading Curriculum Intent

At Yatton Junior School, we believe that reading is a vital life skill and a gateway to academic success, personal growth and lifelong learning. We are committed to fostering a strong reading culture at the heart of our school, where every child is inspired, supported and challenged to become a confident and enthusiastic reader.

Our aim is for all pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to read fluently, accurately and with genuine enjoyment. Through high‑quality teaching and a carefully planned progression of learning, we ensure that children build secure foundations in reading and grow into readers who can access, understand and appreciate a wide range of texts.

Early reading skills are strengthened through the continued use of systematic phonics, ensuring that pupils have the tools required to decode confidently and independently. Decodable texts matched to phonics knowledge support this early journey, opening the door to a rich and diverse world of stories, information and ideas. As pupils move through the school, they are increasingly exposed to high‑quality literature that broadens their horizons, develops empathy, and nurtures curiosity about the world around them.

Reading is interwoven throughout our curriculum. Carefully chosen key texts introduce pupils to a variety of authors, genres and cultures, enriching their understanding and deepening their appreciation of literature. By the end of their time at Yatton Junior School, we aim for all pupils to leave as fluent, thoughtful and resilient readers who can make links between texts, draw on prior knowledge and express their ideas with clarity.

KS2 Reading Aims

We aim for pupils to:

• Read fluently, accurately and with good understanding, using their growing knowledge of phonics, root words, prefixes and suffixes to tackle new vocabulary with confidence.
• Develop a wide and ambitious vocabulary, drawing on high-quality texts to broaden their language and deepen their comprehension.
• Build secure comprehension skills, enabling them to infer meaning, retrieve key information, summarise ideas across paragraphs and justify viewpoints with evidence.
• Read with increasing independence and critical awareness, engaging thoughtfully with a variety of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays.
• Understand how authors use language, structure and organisational features to create effects, and discuss how these choices influence the reader.
• Develop the habit of reading widely and regularly, both for pleasure and for learning, choosing texts that challenge, interest and inspire them.
• Respond to texts with clarity and confidence, articulating opinions, asking questions and taking part in meaningful book based discussions.
• Build stamina, resilience and enthusiasm for reading, developing the skills and motivation needed to become lifelong readers.

 

Reading Approach at Yatton Junior School

Fluency

At Yatton Junior School, we recognise that pupils can only develop a genuine love of books when they are able to read with confidence, accuracy and automaticity. To support this, we provide a carefully structured and consistent approach to developing fluency throughout Key Stage 2. While early decoding skills are established before pupils join us, we continue to build on these foundations through explicit teaching of fluency strategies. Adults support pupils in whole class lessons, small group sessions and targeted 1:1 practice, ensuring that every child can read with ease, expression and understanding.

Comprehension

To become skilled, thoughtful readers, children must be explicitly taught how to understand, interpret and evaluate what they read. At Yatton, we use high quality texts and expert teacher modelling to guide pupils in developing the full range of comprehension skills. Through regular practice and discussion, pupils learn to retrieve information, infer meaning, explore vocabulary, identify themes and consider an author’s choices. These skills gradually build from Year 3 to Year 6 so that all pupils are well-prepared to access the wider curriculum with confidence.

Our Weekly Reading Lesson Structure

To ensure consistency and progression across Key Stage 2, our reading curriculum follows a clear three lesson weekly cycle:

Lesson 1 – Fluency Focus    

Pupils are introduced to a new text and engage in a range of fluency building strategies. Complex or unfamiliar vocabulary is explained and explored. Children then practise reading the text through:

• Echo reading (teacher reads, pupils echo back)
• Choral reading (group reading together)
• Paired reading (supportive reading in partners)

This structured rehearsal enables pupils to internalise pace, expression and accuracy.

Lesson 2 – Fluency and Comprehension Teaching

Building on the previous session, pupils revisit the text to strengthen fluency and deepen understanding. A specific comprehension skill—such as inference, retrieval, summarising or vocabulary analysis—is explicitly taught and practised through guided activities and discussion.

Lesson 3 – Independent VIPERS Practice

Pupils apply their learning independently by completing comprehension tasks linked to one or more VIPERS skills (Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval, Sequencing/Summarising). This provides regular opportunities for children to demonstrate understanding and for teachers to assess progress.

Enjoyment – Reading for Pleasure

At Yatton Junior School, we are committed to nurturing a school culture where books are valued, shared and genuinely loved. From the youngest readers in Year 3 to our oldest pupils in Year 6, we prioritise reading for pleasure as a central part of school life. By creating an environment rich in stories, curiosity and choice, we aim to develop readers who have the confidence, independence and enthusiasm to dive into books and feel excited by the world of literature.

Promoting a Love of Reading

• Throughout the year, Yatton Junior School welcomes local authors, illustrators and librarians who inspire pupils through workshops, storytelling and creative sessions.
• Daily class story time is an opportunity for pupils to listen to and engage in a session led by an adult who can model reading a story in an interesting and engaging way.
• Pupils take part in a variety of special reading themed events, such as World Book Day and Get Caught Reading challenges, which help to build excitement and strengthen our reading culture.
• To foster a home and school link, parents and relatives are invited in to take part in Reading Cafes where they can come in and read with their children in a comfy and cosy environment as well as enjoying a drink and a cake.