How we prioritise reading at St Dennis Primary Academy

• Daily reading through RWI.
• A diet of '5 a day' in EYFS that includes 'Talk through Stories' and 'Drawing Club'.
• Book Study (KS1) or Novel Study (KS2) taught through the use of VIPERS questions, which have been structured progressively across the school.
• Additional Book Share in KS1, which is voted upon by the children.
• Writing is taught through our storytelling approach.
• Fluency is taught in Key Stage 2, through regular sessions.
• Well stocked and inviting library.
• Dedicated library time every week where library skills are explicitly taught.
• Children can take home two books - one decodable (RWI or Accelerated Reader) and one library book for pleasure.
• Accelerated Reader is used once children have completed RWI.  Instead of being a ‘free reader’, they are directed to choose books within their ZPD level as their individual reading book. Within this band, there are a range of difficulties and interest levels for the children to choose from.
• Key staff in reading roles include an Early Reading Lead, English Lead, School Librarian and a Reading Champion.  
• Volunteers from 'School Readers' have been matched with the school to offer targeted reading support.
• Community volunteers enlisted to support with reading.
• Reading achievement is celebrated through a dedicated newsletter and prizes (Father Christmas gives out books to all children).
• Classrooms have all been redesigned to include reading corners which are used as a mini-library and include recommended texts, books relevant to topics and poetry books.
• Knowledge organisers include a glossary to ensure children learn layered language and definitions which supports their comprehension across the wider curriculum and in their independent reading.
• Reading is woven into all long term plans to ensure we are reading as scientists, geographers and historians.
• Regular training for staff, through practice sessions.
• In order to ensure a wide range of texts are accessed, we are developing the use of the 'Five Plagues of Reading Spines' (Doug Lemov - Reading Reconsidered).
• Website to showcase our reading intent, implementation and impact.
• Graduate school with Kernow English Hub to ensure best practice teaching of reading.
• School Library open for families.