“Reading is the one ability that, once set in motion, has the capacity to feed itself, to grow exponentially, providing a base from which the possibilities are infinite.” Michael Morpurgo
At Westgarth, reading is at the heart of our curriculum.
We aim for every child to be a reader and to:
- read independently, fluently and expressively, with enjoyment and understanding;
- read a wide range of quality texts, both for pleasure and to gather information;
- engage with and respond to what they read.
We encourage a love of books, and of reading, by providing a rich reading environment in our classrooms and in our school, inside and out.
Throughout the school, teachers read aloud to children on a daily basis, often for extended periods. We read a wide range of high quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry. High quality literature is also used across the curriculum – “books as hooks” to engage children in learning across a breadth of other subjects.
Children are taught to read through the systematic teaching of synthetic phonics. We teach the word recognition skills needed to decode text and the language comprehension skills needed to understand what is read. Language comprehension skills are further developed and deepened through group and whole class reading sessions.
We are proud to be a nationally appointed English Hub, supporting local primary schools in promoting a love of reading and providing support and guidance for the provision of effective phonics and early language teaching.
