At lower Key Stage 2, we continue to build on the secure foundations of our phonics programme, Little Wandle. Moving into Year 3, identified children continue to have regular catch-up phonics interventions to secure their phonetic knowledge and to help them urgently catch up with their peers. At the same time, they access learning through whole-class reading lessons, to ensure that they continue to benefit from age-appropriate texts.

Our carefully-designed reading spine ensures that reading material in our reading lessons is closely linked with key knowledge and skills in the wider curriculum to allow children to make deep connections in and reinforce prior learning. The reading spine is supplemented with additional extracts to enable children to read many different genres and types of texts linked to each half-term’s theme.

In order to develop children’s fluency and automaticity in reading, we ensure that every lesson in KS2 incorporates key features drawn from EEF Improving Literacy:

• Extending vocabulary knowledge by explicitly teaching vocabulary;
• Teachers modelling fluent reading with prosody to support comprehension;
• Strategies for repeated reading based on Reader’s Theatre activities;
• Metacognitive strategies used by teachers with modelled answers to develop specific reading strategies;
• Opportunities for all pupils to develop their thinking through oracy and cooperative learning, allowing teachers to address misconceptions;
• Independent learning with extension activities;
• Adapted reading texts wherever possible to allow all children to enjoy the same lessons.

Reading interventions continue to target and support those who need extra help and all staff and volunteers are trained in using fluency strategies to encourage our lowest-attaining group.