In Key Stage 2, children are read to by the class adult for at least 15 minutes four times per week. Once a week, each class has a ‘Book Club’ session where adults and children talk about books of interest, different authors and create a buzz around reading. Children in the class can also use this time to recommend a book to their classmates or ask classmates for recommendations.

Class reading in Key Stage 2 is often delivered through whole class reading with a clear focus on developing the child as a reader.

Whole Class Reading

Whole class reading is split into three main parts: fluency, discussion, further questions.

Part 1: fluency

The teacher will model the reading of an age-related extract (extract from the whole class text, a poem, a picture book or non-fiction text). The teacher will then share the text marking which was used to allow for reading using prosody. Children then copy the text marking. The children will take part in an echo read where they echo back how the teacher reads the extract. The children then work in pairs and will take it in turns to read the extract to each other building their fluency and use of prosody. Once the children have taken part in the repeated reading, the whole class will choral read the extract.

Part 2: discussion

In this session, the children will choral read the same extract from the first part of the session. The teacher will then pose quick warm up questions which will often be retrieval questions. After this, the teacher will pose the big questions which are questions to delve deeper into the extract.

Part 3: further questions (this part does not need to happen every week)

In this session, the children will continue to focus on a range of questions based on the same extract. Some of these questions may require a written response.

Children are expected to read daily. The children have Reading Records and they are expected to record their reading within these. Parents, carers and staff also record reading in these records. Reading Records are checked daily as this allows discussions with pupils about the books they are reading and also helps to identify any issues such as the range of genres being read and the length of time spent on certain books. Through checking Reading Records, we are also able to identify children who may not be reading frequently outside of school or not reading with an adult outside of school. We are then able to provide extra support for these children.

Assessment in Reading

Children’s progress is regularly monitored and each term the children are assessed using the FFT Reading Assessment Programme (FFT RAP) which shows the progress the children have made and identifies areas for development. The children also sit NFER reading assessments termly (Year 6 take past SATs papers) which teachers use to inform their teacher assessment judgements and planning.

In the Summer Term, children in Year 6 will sit the end of Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Assessments also commonly known as ‘SATs’. The children will be given a reading paper which will focus on the children’s understanding of various texts.

Throughout Key Stage 2, children’s reading fluency, comprehension and reading choices are monitored. If a child is identified as needing extra support then the class teacher will put the appropriate support in place as part of quality first teaching. If it is felt that a child needs further support, then advice will be sought from the SENDCo and advice from this followed.