Inspiring a Love of Reading

At St Clement's, we believe that reading opens doors to learning, imagination and future opportunities. Our aim is for every child to become a confident, fluent reader who enjoys books and develops a lifelong love of reading.

We encourage children to:

• Read for pleasure and enjoyment.
• Discuss and share their thoughts about books.
• Understand what they read and explain their ideas.
• Build a rich vocabulary through high-quality texts.
• Use reading skills across all areas of the curriculum.

Through reading, children learn to make connections, infer meaning, understand characters' feelings and experiences, and tackle unfamiliar words with confidence.

How We Teach Reading

Reading is taught every day through carefully planned lessons that develop key comprehension skills. We use the VIPERS approach from Year 1 onwards to help children understand different types of reading questions and build strong comprehension skills.

VIPERS focuses on:

• Vocabulary – understanding the meaning of words
• Inference - reading between the lines
• Prediction - anticipating what might happen next
• Explanation – explaining ideas and thoughts
• Retrieval - finding information in a text
• Sequence/Summarise - retelling and summarising key events

Children may also take part in Speed Read activities to develop reading fluency, alongside comprehension checks to ensure understanding.

Early Reading and Phonics

In EYFS and Key Stage 1, children learn phonics every day using the Little Wandle programme. Additional "keep-up" and "catch-up" sessions are provided where needed to ensure every child makes strong progress.

Reading at Home

We know that reading regularly at home makes a huge difference.

• Children in EYFS and KS1 take home a phonetically matched Little Wandle reading book, alongside a book to share for pleasure.
• Children in KS2 take home books matched to their reading ability and interests.
• All children have a reading diary to record their reading at home.
• Regular reading is celebrated through awards and certificates in our celebration assemblies.

We value our partnership with parents and carers and encourage families to enjoy reading together as often as possible.

The Impact of Reading

By the time children leave St Clement's, we aim for them to be:

• Fluent and confident readers.
• Enthusiastic readers who enjoy a wide range of books and authors.
• Strong communicators with a rich vocabulary.
• Able to understand, analyse and discuss different texts.
• Well prepared for the challenges of secondary school and beyond.

We regularly assess reading progress to ensure every child receives the support and challenge they need. Through high-quality teaching, systematic phonics and the VIPERS approach, children develop the skills to access learning across the curriculum and achieve their full potential.