Reading

OFSTED 2023:

‘Leaders have prioritised the development of pupils’ reading knowledge. In the early years, there is a strong focus on developing children’s understanding of language and communication skills. This starts in the Nursery class so that children are well prepared for the phonics programme that they encounter when they move into the Reception Year. Teachers check carefully on pupils’ learning and address any gaps in their phonics knowledge’- 

We see reading as an integral part of our school curriculum that impacts on all learning. We ensure that our children become confident, accomplished readers but we also support them in fostering a love of reading both during their school years and beyond.

To view our Reading Spine and see what your children will be reading over the school year, please click here.

Reading Spine

Celebrating Reading at Christ the King

We have had a lot of opportunity to celebrate reading this year! You can find more information on the events that have taken place in our Reading Newsletter by clicking here. For now, here is a snapshot of some of the things we have been up to:

Reading Vipers

Reading VIPERS is our way of supporting children with their reading comprehension skills. All children (after they have finished Read Write Inc) will be working on VIPERS during class reading, whether it is reading as a class, in a small group, or one-to-one with an adult. It would be fantastic if parents could also refer to VIPERS when they listen to their child read at home.

Up to the end of Year 2, the 'S' stands for 'Sequence'. Once children move into Year 3, the 'S' stands for 'Summarise', which is a more demanding skill.

Reading VIPERS is our way of supporting children with their reading comprehension skills. All children will be working on VIPERS during class reading, whether it is reading as a class, in a small group, or one-to-one with an adult. It would be fantastic if parents could also refer to VIPERS when they listen to their child read at home.

 If we ensure that children are competent in all of these reading skills, we are covering all of the National Curriculum requirements and enabling them to be strong, confident readers. This acronym is just a great way of helping children and parents to remember what these vital skills are.

Question Openers

VIPERS can be used on any text that a child is reading, as well as on pictures, picture books and films! When any adult is listening to a child read, all they have to do is think of questions about the book/picture/film that cover all of the VIPERS, and there are great examples below of how you can create your own questions using the following question openers. 

Key Stage 1 Reading Vipers Posters

Key Stage 2 Reading Vipers Posters

Class Authors

We want to share our passion for reading and so our teachers have been doing their homework! Each year group has chosen a fantastic and inspiring author to investigate and a book of theirs to read. 

Nursery -  Shirley Hughes

Reception -Julia Donaldson

Year 1 - Oliver Jeffers

Year 2 - Tom Percival

Year 3 - Anne Fine

Year 4 - Cressida Cowell

Year 5 - Michael Foreman

Year 6 - Sharna Jackson

Reading Progression Document

Home - School Reading

We see reading as an integral part of our school curriculum that impacts on all learning. We ensure that our children become confident, accomplished readers but we also support them in fostering a love of reading both during their school years and beyond.

In the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, we follow a variety of reading schemes including:

Jelly and Bean, Rigby Star and Big Cat Phonics.

Each of the books in these schemes are graded into book bands. This means that we can select books from different reading schemes that are matched to the children’s phonic level. This allows them to apply and practice the phonemes they have been taught at a level that is appropriate yet challenging for them.

As a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher. When you help your child learn to read, you are opening the door to a world of books and learning. We ask that you read to your child or listen to them read for at least 10 minutes every day. Reading can be a wonderful, relaxing experience and can open up a whole new world for our children!

We want to thank parents/ carers who are reading with their children at home each day. This has a huge impact on reading skills and learning across the whole curriculum. Here are some tips and ideas for how you can help your child to become a fluent, competent reader...

 Read Manchester’s Reading Map

You may remember the reading map developed for Years 5/6 with Transport for Greater Manchester last year.  It was based on the tram map and was designed to extend and expand children’s reading choices. 

Click here to download the Read Manchester Map