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Reading is a key skill for pupils to gain access to a life of choice and opportunity. It is our goal that all pupils are proficient readers and enthusiastic about books. We know that our early teaching of phonics is outstanding. 98% of children passed the phonics screen in 2021/22, in line with previous years (97%). We know that this is supported by a carefully planned phonics programme which starts in the Summer term of Nursery and continues through to Year 2.
Pupils graduate from the phonics programme with a high level of reading fluency (90wpm). We believe that all pupils need to be fluent readers in order to be successful in school but, more importantly, to identify as readers and develop a life-long love of reading.
Pupils move from a phonics programme into Book Club which is focused around a key text and is taught to the end of Year 8. We know that being an adept reader requires knowledge, a broad vocabulary and high level of reading fluency. Being both an adept and enthusiastic reader requires access to high quality books which reflect the diverse experiences of our young people, and society more broadly.
We now have 4 libraries in the school and these are well stocked with a broad variety of books.
In Phase 1 and 2, we have also invested in a part- time librarian who can ensure the smooth running of the libraries and build pupils' love for books. We also participated in the Get Hounslow Reading Initiative and have had staff participate in this training.
In Year 7, we have just launched the Reach Reading Challenge, supporting pupils to read 16 books before they turn 16 from a diverse range of fiction and non-fiction choices. This encourages pupils to vary the genres, authors and time periods from which they read. In Year 12, we also launched The BIg Read, supporting pupils with accessing more academically challenging texts, particularly non-fiction.
We want to ensure that our pupils have a rich vocabulary that enables them to access texts. This requires a dual approach. We need to ensure that all teachers are supporting pupils to expand their vocabulary and have a clear understanding of vocabulary that pupils should know and they should be teaching.
We also want to support pupils with speech and language difficulties to overcome these with careful intervention and clear working between these and their in class teaching. We therefore know that teachers need to ensure that they are teaching Tier 2 words alongside specific Tier 3 words.
We have shared training on dual-coding, examples and non-examples and reading strategies to support teachers’ ability to teach vocabulary effectively. We have also, this year, employed a full time in-house Speech and Language Therapist which we hope will help in many areas of the children’s development, including their reading. We use NGRT tests to identify pupils that are significantly behind from Key Stage 2 upwards (this is in addition to the PIRA tests in Key Stage 2). From the NGRT tests, we identify pupils who require intervention or who would benefit from additional assessments to identify their area of need, for example the LASS test. This then helps us to identify specific interventions such as Switch-On Reading, Read Theory or Flash Academy (EAL specific).
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These are books that every child should have the chance to read.
We would encourage your child to read as many books from this list throughout the year. See how many you can read!
Year 1
The Cat in the Hat by Dr Suess
The Perfect Shelter by Clare Helen Welsh
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
Perfectly Norman by Tom Percival
We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
Funnybones by Allan and Janet Ahlberg
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
Julian at the Wedding by Jessica Love
I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
Look Up! by Nathan Bryon
Billy and the Beast by Nadia Shireen
Shu Lin’s Grandpa by Matt Goodfellow and Yu Rong
Mister Magnolia by Quentin Blake
Peace At Last by Jill Murphy
The Rabbit that belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton
Splash by Claire Cashmore
The Mystery of the Golden Pyramid by Adela Norean
Year 2
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Here we are by Oliver Jeffers
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
Pirate Mums by Jodie Lancet-Grant and Lydia Corry
Wanda’s Words Got Stuck by Lucy Rowland
Hot Dog by Sophie Corrigan
Pablo’s Feelings by Pablo
Beegu by Alexis Deacon
What Happened to You? by James Catchpole
The Invisible by Tom Percival
What the Elephant Heard by Charlotte Guillain
Count by Melvin Burgess
Leonora Bolt: Deep Sea Calamity by Lucy Brandt
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Mr Skip by Michael Morpurgo
Isadora Moon Goes on Holiday by Harriet Muncaster
George's Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl
Year 3
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch
The Jolly Roger and Pirate Piper by Jonny Duddle
The Journey by Francesca Sanna
The Dragon Machine by Helen Ward
Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne
The Creakers by Tom Fletcher
The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The Butterfly Club by Jacqueline Wilson
The Boy Who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd
Eddie Albert and the Amazing Animal Gang: The Amsterdam Adventure by Paul O'Grady
The Hatmakers By Tamzin Merchant
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Sam Wu Is Not Afraid Of Ghosts by Kevin & Katie Tsang
Anisha Accidental Detective by Serena Patel
Mayhem Mission by Burhana Islam
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Year 4
The Paddington Series by Michael Bond
Michael Rosen’s A to Z: the best children’s poetry from Agard to Zephaniah edited by Michael Rosen
Sad Book by Michael Rosen
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
Stig of the Dump by Clive King
The Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis
Alien In The Jam Factory by Chrissie Sains
Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City by Rob Biddulph
Good News: Why the World is Not as Bad as You Think by Rashmi Sirdeshpande
The Land of Roar by Jenny McLachlan
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
Theseus and the Minotaur by David Orme and Wendy Body
The Diamond Brothers series by Anthony Horowitz
I Am Not A Label by Cerrie Burnell
A Dark, Dark, Tale by Ruth Brown
The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q Rauf
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Year 5
Clockwork by Phillip Pullman
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier
Five Children and It by E Nesbit
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
Can You See Me by Libby Scott
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian
Dragon Mountain by Katie Tsang & Kevin Tsang
There's A Boy in the Girl's Bathroom by Louis Sacher
Runaway Robot by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Holes by Louis Sachar
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai