Across the Bonneygrove and Millbrook Primary Federation, our approach to reading centres on developing pupils’ competence in both word recognition and comprehension. We are committed to ensuring that all children leave the federation as fluent, accurate and confident readers, who explore texts widely and often for both pleasure and information.

At the start of children’s journey, we actively promote a love of books, alongside the daily teaching of our structured phonics programme, Little Wandle: Letters and Sounds Revised. One-to-one reading in school plays a crucial role in supporting early skill development, and we place high value on the partnership with parents and carers in supporting reading at home.

Across the federation, children are provided with regular opportunities to read independently, in groups and with skilled adults, enabling them to develop both fluency and comprehension. We recognise the importance of ‘sticky learning’, and ensure that guided reading is carefully aligned with daily phonics teaching so that learning is reinforced and embedded.

In Key Stage Two, pupils are given increased opportunities to engage with a rich and diverse literary heritage. At this stage, phonics knowledge is consolidated, and a whole-class reading approach is introduced, allowing children to explore a wide range of texts and increasingly sophisticated vocabulary in depth. Through the use of speaking frames, pupils engage in high-quality discussion daily, strengthening their oracy skills and ability to express themselves clearly and effectively using appropriate grammatical structures.

Reading is further enriched through a wide range of experiences across the federation. Children access a variety of texts through well-resourced libraries, discrete reading and writing sessions, and carefully planned opportunities to read across the wider curriculum. In addition, pupils benefit from daily class story time, where teachers read aloud in a calm and purposeful environment, fostering imagination and broadening pupils’ understanding of the world. Digital platforms such as Bug Club also support reading by providing appropriately matched texts for each child.

Reading is a central priority across the Bonneygrove and Millbrook Primary Federation, underpinning our commitment to ensuring that every child develops the skills and enjoyment needed to become a lifelong reader.

To quote Dr. Seuss:

The more that you read,

The more things you will know.

The more that you learn,

The more places you’ll go.