Teaching a child to read is vital. We currently use the Read, Write, Inc reading scheme and have a wide range of books in school to suit the needs of all children. In order to prevent children from falling behind, we have a range of interventions in place to support children. In addition to phonics interventions, we have intervention programmes in place which have been recommended by our SEND Coordinator such as ‘Toe by Toe’, ‘Beat Dyslexia’ and ‘Fresh Start’.

Our school is renowned for working with many external partners who have helped us to enhance our resources by stocking our library. We have made many connections with inspirational authors such as Cressida Cowell, Laura Allain Henry MBE and Brian Abram. As a result of this, we are lucky enough to have lots of visits from authors which inspire our pupils to love reading. We have a school librarian who ensures that the library is well-looked after. Our librarian also leads a Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 book club weekly called Parklands Perusers. In book club, children are given the opportunity to read and discuss a wide range of books.

Business volunteers enhance our reading provision every week by listening to our children read. This is through the ‘Right to Read’ programme. In addition, we have Beanstalk readers who work with children every week. We are also lucky enough to have students from Leeds Grammar School come into school weekly to hear our children read.

From Reception to Year 2, guided reading is taught through a carousel of activities. These activities include reading with a teacher or teaching assistant and written comprehensions. Children in Year 3 through to Year 6 are taught through whole class reading. Children have two reading sessions each week relating to their class novel, and three reading sessions relating to their learning within the wider curriculum. Class novels and non-fiction texts are carefully chosen to ensure that there is progression and challenge across the school. During the reading sessions, there is an emphasis on vocabulary, the retrieval of facts, sequencing, prediction and inference. One to one reading occurs in Reception and vulnerable readers are identified in each class to ensure children make progress, as well as develop a love of reading. At Parklands, we aim to develop a love of reading, so children are encouraged to read for pleasure at home and within school. Teachers read a variety of high-quality texts to the children on a regular basis. High quality texts are also introduced to the children as reading recommendations through ‘First Chapter Friday’. Children are encouraged to contribute to their class reading scrapbook to share peer recommendations.