Braehead Primary

Reading Policy Working together to create a happy learning environment

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Rationale

A Curriculum for Excellence promotes the development of our young people as successful learners, confident individuals, effective

communicators and responsible citizens. Central to this is the importance

of developing pupils’ literacy skills to equip our young people with the

capacity to confidently meet the challenges of a changing world.

Developing the reading skills of our young people, together with the

development of writing, listening and talking will enhance pupil confidence

in meeting the challenges presented by the formal curriculum and beyond.

Effective reading involves a set of complex skills that will not develop

without structured teaching and practice. Schools in West

Dunbartonshire Council will use “READING ROUTES – A Cross Curricular Approach to Reading” to develop these skills in a coherent and progressive way. This approach is based on child centred, interactive

learning with a focus on developing high order critical reading skills whilst

actively engaging children in reading for enjoyment. Through

collaborative working, our children are encouraged to explore a wide

range of texts, develop an ability to analyse and evaluate texts and to

recognise links in learning through developing reading skills in a variety of

cross curricular contexts.

Across the stages our children take part in a variety of cross curricular

opportunities to develop their skills in reading, frequently engaging in real

contexts for real purposes. High expectations of performance in the

core skills of literacy are shared with our children as we work hard to

promote high standards from all children within a positive and supportive

ethos.

Literacy skills empower children to unlock their potential as independent,

lifelong learners. They have a significant impact on self-esteem,

motivation and aspirations for the future. Being literate equips children

to be proactive in their own learning and to articulate their thoughts. In

this way our young people will develop an understanding of themselves as

individuals and as members of society.

To this end, Braehead Primary places raising achievement in literacy at

the centre of its raising standards agenda.

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Reading Policy Working together to create a happy learning environment

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Aims

In Braehead Primary we aim to:

• create a positive ethos throughout the school so that pupils

develop confidence and pleasure whilst engaging in reading

activities which are relevant, encouraging personalisation and

choice as appropriate

• teach reading through a structured approach with clear skill

progression, continuity and coherence 3 – 15

• ensure that pupils enjoy opportunities for a broad reading

curriculum which enables pupils to have a deeper appreciation of

texts

• link planning, teaching and formative assessment in reading

activities in order to raise levels of attainment/achievement in

reading throughout the school

Time Allocation

A Curriculum for Excellence endorses a cross- curricular approach to developing the literacy skills of our young people. At all stages time will

be allocated to the explicit teaching of the core skills of reading,

supported by resources contained in “READING ROUTES – A Cross Curricular Approach to Reading”. Furthermore, young people at all stages will regularly be engaged in reading activities across the

curriculum including reading for enjoyment, finding and using

information and understanding, analysing and evaluating texts.

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What are the Core Reading Skills?

In order to read effectively, pupils will learn the importance of:-

• Reading for Enjoyment and Choice

Pupils are encouraged to catch the “Reading Bug” resulting in a

life long love of reading – for more information please refer to

Reading Routes – The Reading Bug - Guide for Parents! • Finding and Using Information

Opportunities to access and make sense of a wide range of

information in a variety of formats will enable young people to

develop a critical awareness that will allow them to navigate the

multitude of texts they will encounter in every day life

• Tools for Reading

Building on the “Jolly Phonics” approach at the early stages,

pupils will develop high order decoding skills which will develop

confidence in reading unfamiliar texts

• Reading for Understanding

In relation to increasingly sophisticated texts, pupils will learn

how to demonstrate an understanding of what they have read

• Analytical Reading

Building upon understanding skills, pupils will explore how

writers create particular effects through using a range of

different techniques

• Evaluative Reading

A focus on evaluating texts will encourage pupils to assess why

writers have made particular choices in relation to the text

they have created and how successfully writers have met their

purpose

Learning and Teaching

Approaches to learning and teaching will take account of the principles

and purposes of A Curriculum for Excellence and locally developed work contained in “READING ROUTES – A Cross Curricular Approach to Reading”. All classes will have a reading area where the core skills of reading are

displayed.

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Pupils will engage in a wide range of reading activities including close

reading, exploration of extended texts (increasingly leading to extended

pupil responses to reading) and analysis of writer’s craft. The core

reading skills will be explicitly linked to the WDC Criterion Scale (Write

to the Top) and the Skills Scale (Hearsay). Pupils will work independently

and collaboratively, increasingly focusing on critical reading skills in

relation to a wide range of texts, including multi-modal texts. The

activities contained within “READING ROUTES – A Cross Curricular Approach to Reading” complement the continued development of

cooperative learning approaches.

The core skills of reading will be regularly discussed with the young

people and examples of pupil skill development will be shared with the

class. During cross – curricular reading activities, young people will be

expected to demonstrate their understanding of these skills. Staff will

ensure that all pupils are given recognition for their reading achievement

at some point during the session.

Resources

“READING ROUTES – A Cross Curricular Approach to Reading” is the pivotal resource for the explicit teaching of reading skills in a progressive

and challenging way. Other resources, include those purchased from

educational suppliers to reading stimuli gathered within our schools by

teaching staff, will complement Reading Routes. These may include

reading schemes, topic boxes, textbooks, pictures, DVDs, planning sheets,

novels, non-fiction texts, texts in a variety of genres, tapes, CDs and big

books. It is important to acknowledge the many cross-curricular

opportunities presented for developing reading skills.

Frequency and Range of Reading Activities

As reading permeates all areas of the curriculum, it is difficult to

quantify the number of activities that young people will be engaged in

across the stages. The Core Reading Skills, in line with Curriculum for

Excellence, are organised into broad levels as follows:

* Early Level - Most children by the end of P1

* First Level - Most children by the end of P4

* Second Level - Most children by the end of P7

* Third/Fourth Levels - Most children by the end of S3

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Within each of the broad levels, pupils at all stages should have the

opportunity to engage with core reading skills on several occasions during

the approximate three year period. Over the course of a single session,

pupils at all stages will be explicitly taught aspects of the core skills as

deemed appropriate and will participate in a range of activities which

involve reading for enjoyment, finding and using information and

understanding, analysing and evaluating texts.

Assessment

Formative and Summative Assessment

The core reading skills described in “READING ROUTES – A Cross Curricular Approach to Reading” will be used as a formative assessment tool to continue to support improvements in reading. Teachers will refer

to the core reading skills to assess pupil performance in reading

activities throughout the session. The core reading skills are not a

summative tick list. There is no expectation that teachers will

summatively assess every pupil in relation to every skill within a

session or that reading for enjoyment and choice will be summatively

assessed. The performance of each pupil in terms of the core reading

skills identified for coverage that session at the planning stages, will

be recorded summatively at least once each session. It would be

unproductive for teachers to assess every pupil performance in reading as

this would allow limited opportunity for pupil progression in terms of skill

level and would prove too time consuming for staff. However, in line with

Assessment is for Learning, teachers will provide regular, meaningful,

formative feedback to pupils (perhaps in the form of two stars and a

wish) in terms of pupil successes and clear targets for further

improvement.

Pupil Self and Peer Assessment

The importance of encouraging pupils to have ownership of their own

learning targets is widely recognised in our schools. Lesson material in

“READING ROUTES – A Cross Curricular Approach to Reading” continually encourages pupils to reflect on their own progress and to work

with others in developing their reading skills. The pack contains a level

appropriate range of pupil self and peer assessment materials which will

be used, and adapted to meet the needs of pupils, to further develop

effective formative assessment. Pupils at each stage will have the

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opportunity to participate in self and peer assessment at least twice

during the session.

Tracking Pupil Performance

The Senior Management Team will regularly observe pupils engaged in

reading activities and will discuss children’s progress with teaching staff.

All staff will be encouraged to engage in professional dialogue to ensure

that there is a shared understanding of standards. There will be

opportunities for staff to observe pupils’ performance in reading beyond

their own teaching group. These opportunities to share the standard will

lead to increased teacher confidence and better progression for pupils

from one level to the next.

Managers will monitor the performance of each pupil in terms of core

reading skills identified for coverage that session at the planning

stages at least once each session.

Sharing the Standard

In School Moderation of Standards

In order to ensure consistency of standards, it is very important that

school managers develop a system of internal moderation of reading.

Staff will be encouraged to work together, with stage partners and

across the stages, observing pupil performance in order to enhance

confidence and encourage professional dialogue. More formal moderation

exercises, led by senior managers, will feature in the school CPD calendar.

Evidence of pupil performance in reading generated within the school will

be the focus of professional discussion in relation to standards achieved

against the core reading skills. A written record of internal moderation

will be maintained.

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Monitoring – Challenge and Support

School managers have a crucial role in monitoring and supporting the full

implementation of “READING ROUTES – A Cross Curricular Approach to Reading” within schools in West Dunbartonshire Council. Senior

managers will

• observe reading lessons across the stages and provide focused

feedback in order to support future improvement

• model reading lessons to support teachers as required

• discuss pupil progress towards reading targets, including specific

skills, with class teachers

• discuss pupil progress towards reading targets, including specific

skills, with individuals and groups of pupils

• provide opportunities for teachers to participate in peer

observation with a specific focus on sharing good practice

• provide CPD in relation to “READING ROUTES – A Cross Curricular Approach to Reading” as required

Written records in relation to monitoring and supporting the

implementation “READING ROUTES – A Cross Curricular Approach to Reading”should be maintained.

Partnership with Parents

The positive and productive partnerships that our schools enjoy with

parents will be nurtured to increase the involvement of parents in the

literacy development of their child. At the start of each session, every

school will provide parents with information in relation to “READING ROUTES – A Cross Curricular Approach to Reading”. An information booklet may be complemented by an opportunity to address parents

through a parental workshop. We recognise the importance of parents

gaining an understanding of the READING ROUTES approach if they are to support home learning in the area of reading. Equally important,

parents will receive regular up-dates regarding the progress of their

child through teacher comments and/or in relation to tracking

information.

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Reading Policy Working together to create a happy learning environment

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Pupils with Additional Support Needs

Young people in Braehead Primary who require additional support to

access the reading curriculum will be supported by procedures outlined in

the document Literacy - Supporting the Additional Needs of Young People in WDC, 2009.

Concluding Comments

Braehead Primary is fully committed to the development of our young

people as successful learners, confident individuals, effective

communicators and responsible citizens. The central importance of

developing pupils’ literacy skills to equip our young people with the

capacity to confidently meet the challenges of a changing world is fully

recognised. To this end, Braehead Primary places raising achievement in

literacy at the centre of its raising standards agenda.