Reading

Subject Leaders - Ms L Rogers, Mrs E Watson and Mr J Moss

At Lakeside, we see reading as the golden thread to learning. Being able to read enables children to acquire the knowledge they need in order to succeed in life. This means building strong foundations from the very first day of school that will make a real difference to a child’s future.

The ability to read opens doors and gives children access to a wealth of knowledge. It is therefore crucial that early reading is seen as an absolute priority. Unless children can read, they can’t learn to the full.

Reading to children in our school, building their vocabulary and their knowledge of language, is a prerequisite of success. Teachers are expected to regularly read to and hear children read; teach phonics; give children time to practise and consolidate their growing knowledge and importantly, ensure that any child who falls behind with their reading, catches up quickly.

Please take a moment to look at our key progression documents at the top of this page to see how we teach reading and use high quality texts throughout our school.

Reading lies at the heart of the curriculum at Lakeside. As you walk around school, high-quality and engaging murals and quotes capture moments from key texts. Examples can be seen in corridors and stairwells that depict scenes from Harry Potter and Narnia.

Our curriculum is built around high-quality texts. We have ensured that every child has their own copy of the core texts to read, enjoy and use as part of their learning journey. These texts provide the platform for teachers to forge strong links between subjects, developing children’s knowledge and understanding as well as well broadening their social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness. For example, ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’ and ‘Boy 87’ are used to provide a platform for pupils in Year 5 to develop not only their geographical knowledge but their understanding of key issues such as loss, tragedy, and the realities of life as a refugee. Our progression of core texts is available via the links at the top of this page.