Reading

At New Monument, reading underpins our whole curriculum. We recognise that the ability to read fluently, confidently and with understanding is fundamental to pupils' success, both within school and beyond. Reading and books are therefore integral to learning across our curriculum, with a strong emphasis on developing fluency, comprehension and a rich and ambitious vocabulary.

We are committed to ensuring that every child has a strong start in reading from the Early Years, establishing the foundations needed to become successful readers. As pupils progress through the school, we build systematically on these early skills, developing increasingly fluent and expressive readers who can understand, interpret and respond thoughtfully to a wide range of texts. Our ultimate aim is for every child to leave Broadmere as a strong, confident and independent reader who genuinely enjoys reading.

Alongside fluency, we place a strong emphasis on the explicit teaching of comprehension skills. Pupils are supported to retrieve and interpret information, make and justify inferences, predict, summarise, discuss vocabulary and explore authors' choices. Through regular discussion of texts, children learn to articulate their ideas, listen to different interpretations and use evidence from what they have read to explain and justify their thinking.

We are passionate about creating a culture of reading for pleasure. Our environment ensures that pupils are surrounded by and exposed to high-quality texts and meaningful reading experiences that offer creativity, variety and diversity. Children encounter books that act both as mirrors, reflecting their own lives and experiences, and windows into the lives, cultures and experiences of others. Carefully chosen texts across the curriculum also enable pupils to deepen their knowledge, encounter ambitious vocabulary and make connections between their learning.

Our partnership with the Surrey Library Service further enriches our reading provision, giving pupils access to an extensive and regularly refreshed range of quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry. This ensures that classroom collections remain engaging and relevant and supports teachers in selecting texts that complement curriculum learning as well as broadening pupils' reading experiences.

As children become independent readers, Accelerated Reader supports them in selecting appropriately challenging books and provides teachers with useful information about their reading habits and comprehension. We use this alongside teachers' professional knowledge and ongoing assessment to monitor pupils' progress, celebrate success and identify children who may require additional support. Where pupils are at risk of falling behind, support and intervention are targeted so that they can develop the fluency, confidence and comprehension needed to access the wider curriculum.

Importantly, we want reading to be seen as much more than a lesson or an assessment. Teachers model enthusiasm for books, pupils are given opportunities to talk about what they read and recommendations are shared and celebrated. Reading aloud and sharing high-quality texts remain important throughout the school, including for pupils who can already read independently, because we recognise the value of experiencing language, vocabulary and literature beyond that which pupils may yet be able to access alone.

Our top priority is to nurture a lifelong passion for reading. We take immense pride in developing a school community in which books are valued, reading is celebrated and children increasingly see themselves as readers. Through our curriculum, teaching, environment and wider reading culture, we aim to equip every pupil with both the skill to read and the desire to do so, opening the door to future learning, opportunity and enjoyment.

Early Years and Key Stage 1

At New Monument we teach early reading in the Early Years and Key Stage 1 through Read Write Inc Phonics which is a systematic and structured way of teaching children to read and is designed to ensure all children learn to read accurately and fluently.

Resources