At Doxey, we aim to provide a progressive reading curriculum which inspires our children to dream big and fly high. Ensuring that all pupils access a broad and diverse range of high quality texts, not only improves their reading fluency and comprehension, but also allows them to engage with the wider world. Through the magic of books, our children will train dragons with Hiccup, befriend the boy at the back of the class, survive the city with Varjak, explore the Amazon Jungle, meet giants and giant peaches alike. Our curriculum aspires to help a love of reading flourish whilst raising cultural capital and equipping our children with the reading tools they need to thrive in the modern world.  

It is our intent to inspire and grow an enduring passion for reading for pleasure, as well as ensuring that our pupils recognise it as an invaluable life skill that they are confident to apply. This will enable our children to be able to communicate effectively in life beyond their academic career, using the high-quality vocabulary they have acquired during their time here at Doxey so they can break down any barriers they may be faced with. We ensure that the texts we read are diverse, inclusive, aspirational and expand their cultural awareness. Our curriculum is progressive, which makes sure that both the texts covered and the skills taught build year upon year. By embedding a sequential approach to teaching reading we aim for high attainment of both word reading fluency and strong comprehension skills by the time our children leave Doxey.  

Through their reading they are also introduced to important literary figures and inspiring characters, who will encourage them to display positive values such as resilience, kindness, self-belief and integrity. This reflects our values as a school, which means that they are an intrinsic part of life at Doxey. 

How we do it

The National Curriculum states that the programmes of study for reading follows two dimensions, word reading and comprehension. At Doxey we ensure that these are an inherent and balanced part of our reading curriculum. 

Starting in the Early Years Foundation Stage, our children follow a Story Book Curriculum which immerses our children in high quality texts, with a focus of oracy, comprehension and teaching a love of storytelling and reading from a young age. The progressive curriculum focuses on vocabulary, asking and answering questions and retelling stories. The use of ‘Tales Toolkit’ supports the children’s understanding of the story structure including the characters, setting, problem and solution.   

Our children begin their reading journey with a systematic and progressive approach to word reading through phonics and early language acquisition. Doxey Academy uses the Read Write Inc. scheme to teach phonics. Doxey Discoverers develop their early language, rhyme and listening skills through songs, poems and stories. They play games to practise discriminating sounds such as environmental, instrumental and body percussion. In the Spring Term, the children play phonics games, ensuring they use the ‘pure’ sounds, practise oral blending and name the pictures for the Read Write Inc. frieze. In the Summer Term, the children learn a new sound each day, using the phonics frieze, in line with Read Write Inc.  

In Reception, the children take part in a daily phonics session, learning a sound a day (following the ‘Starting Strong in Reception’ document). This builds up to 20 minutes a day by the end of the first half term. At the end of the first half term, they are assessed and included in the Read Write Inc. groups.  

Read Write Inc. assessments are carried out each half term (every 6-8 weeks). These assessments decide which group the children are placed into. They are recorded on a tracker to monitor progress.  

Throughout Reception, daily phonics lessons build up to 45 minutes. Daily phonics lessons include a speeds sounds lesson and a reading session.

The timetables differ depending on the colour group- see timetables below: 

All children take home a Read, Write, Inc. ‘book bag book’ that matches the sounds they have learnt in their phonics lessons alongside an accompanying book that they have read in lesson time and a library book.  
 
We strive to improve oracy skills with extensive modelling and by exposing the children to new vocabulary which is expanded and up-levelled. Both expressive vocabulary and receptive vocabulary is broadened through clear teaching and regular retrieval in order for it to become a part of the children’s working vocabulary. 
 
Once the children have completed the Read Write Inc programme and have a secure understanding of phonics, they progress onto the first stage of Guided Reading. They explore a range of carefully selected banded books which match their reading level. During this stage they continue to retrieve phonics knowledge and build fluency within their reading, whilst beginning to develop a deeper comprehension of what they have read.  

In Year 2, Guided Reading uses the following daily structure:  
 

Our key stage two reading curriculum is split into four core strands.  

• Fluency 

• Responding to the text  

• Reading for enjoyment  

• Plus, questioning and skill practice accessed through six key areas: vocabulary, inference, prediction, explain, retrieve, summarise/sequence.  

These strands are taught using the following weekly structure:  

 
Through our reading curriculum, we teach the children to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension. We strive to create confident, independent readers by giving them the tools to decode on both a phonetic level and by applying knowledge in a broader context. In this way, we ensure that their disciplinary knowledge of reading accurately is developed. Alongside this we develop their substantive knowledge, which allows a broad range of texts to teach them about the wider world. We also ensure that the background knowledge needed to fully comprehend the texts studied is taught explicitly so that they are prepared to immerse themselves in the world of the book.  
 
The reading curriculum at Doxey Academy recognises the importance of the knowledge of language in all its forms and usages. By understanding the structures, relationships and intricate connections of language, our pupils unlock greater awareness across their spoken language and reading. Texts studied are incrementally more complex, preparing them for the vast array of literature, from archaic to modern, which they may encounter in their futures. Pupils are also regularly exposed to an expansive variety of text genres, styles, narrative structures, and forms of non-fiction texts, which is purposeful to the over-arching learning rather than incidental. Reading comprehension strategies are taught explicitly and used regularly to fully equip our young readers.  

Links to Personal Development

Reading plays a crucial role in the personal development of children at primary school. Children’s wellbeing is supported as through stories, children experience the emotions and perspectives of characters, fostering empathy and emotional intelligence. Reading about characters with similar experiences helps children reflect on their own lives and develop a sense of identity and books addressing challenges such as friendship issues or anxiety provide strategies and reassurance, helping children navigate emotions. Reading can also support children learn about healthy relationships, about the different family structures in society and about different lifestyles. Reading books can also support children to ‘escape’ from the difficulties they may be facing.

In terms of our character curriculum, as children improve their reading skills, they gain confidence in their abilities, which can motivate them in other areas of learning. They develop their language and communication skills allowing them to progress in all areas of life.  A positive reading experience in early years nurtures a habit of curiosity and continuous learning throughout their lives. Reading about a range of subject areas can inspire children to embark on new hobbies or interests, widening their experiences.

Reading a wide variety of carefully chosen books, which our curriculum offers, exposes pupils to a variety of life experiences lived by the characters we read about. This allows our pupils to learn about characters from a wide range of backgrounds, promoting children’s empathy and acceptance of others. This helps to prepare our pupils for life at secondary school and living in the wider world.

Our curriculum ensures that children’s cultural capital is developed, as they are introduced to ‘The greats’ through the books we have selected but also through our ‘100 book challenge’, where pupils are encouraged to read a variety of books by the time they finish Doxey Academy. We plan trips to watch theatre shows so children can see how books can then be adapted for the stage.