In KS2, children at a white level reader or above are entered onto the Accelerated reader programme. Any child not at this level will receive additional phonics booster sessions. With Accelerated Reader, children complete a short quiz of approximately 30 minutes to identify their current area of need and produce a reading level for which they can independently select texts to read for pleasure. Vocabulary, word recognition, meaning and comprehension are the areas that are assessed highly in the tests.

Assessments are completed in September, December, March and June to track children. Class teachers and TA’s monitor children’s tests to ensure that the assessment data provided is still accurate. Any child who continually scores 100% on their tests at the top end of their reading level will be reassessed to move them up again. Likewise, any child struggling to score highly in a test may be reassessed to ensure the texts are not too challenging.

The accelerated reading scheme promotes reading for pleasure and to encourage reading, we have classes competing against each other to achieve the highest word counts. This competitive element ensures that children are reading regularly and quizzing successfully to achieve the marks.

Children in KS2 also receive up to 2 hours of guided reading within class. Sessions are completed whole class to ensure that all children have access to high quality texts. Choral reading and paired reading remains a large part of the sessions to ensure that the children build fluency and intonation skills. A large focus upon reading in KS2begins with the understanding of language in texts. Vocabulary is very important and all classrooms (including KS1) are vocabulary rich. Teachers are enthusiastic about the texts chosen and model high quality reading daily, including within the literacy hour and as part of story time.

Lots of time within guided reading also assesses the child’s background knowledge. This is very important to becoming a confident, fluent reader by the time they reach year 6. Lots of practice is put in to help children take an active approach to reading. They use strategies taught to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words, they make predictions, make comparisons between texts and develop skills to ask and answer questions to aid their understanding.

We only follow age appropriate resources such as rising stars and cracking comprehension. This is to ensure that all vocabulary is relevant and accessible to the children. This also ensures that we provide a wider range of reading within session e.g. poetry, non-fiction and narrative. Story time provides an opportunity for children to listen to teacher’s model good reading and, also enthuse them about texts. The high quality texts we use through Literacy, linked to topics, ensure all children enjoy their learning.

All children are assessed termly using the NFER tests. Results are analysed and teachers address weaknesses within their planning e.g. inference. Additional reading sessions are completed within each class, whether small group or 1:1 groups to develop fluency, vocabulary and expression.

Through all of these strategies taught, reading sessions, intervention, monitoring and tracking, we aim to ensure that all children that leave by the end of KS2 are confident, fluent readers who have a bank of knowledge to breakdown and discover texts. We also hope that they have a lifelong love of reading.