At OLSP we believe that the teaching of reading is integral to a child’s understanding and appreciation of the world around them; a platform that allows our children to see beyond what they know, share in cultural experiences and develop the vocabulary they need to effectively express themselves. Our reading curriculum strives to foster a lifelong love of reading.  We cultivate the behaviours that they will need to be discerning readers as they read frequently and widely using self-regulation strategies and discuss what they read. This curriculum is delivered through synthetic phonics, a linked approach to shared and guided reading, home reading, reading across the curriculum, regular opportunities for independent reading and hearing quality texts read aloud every day. All of these are essential components as they offer the range of opportunities needed to develop fluent, enthusiastic and critical readers. 

It is important that children are motivated to read at home regularly; when their reading opportunities increase, so does their fluency and stamina which in turn increases their enjoyment of reading. Therefore, the link between children’s motivation to read and reading for pleasure is reciprocal. Furthermore, we know that reading pleasure is beneficial not only for not only reading outcomes, but for wider learning enjoyment and mental wellbeing. Thus, we work hard to foster a love of independent reading and build communities of engaged readers. We understand the significance of parents and carers in supporting their children to develop both word reading and comprehension skills so we endeavour to build a home-school partnership which enables parents and carers to have the confidence to support their children with reading at home. 

Reading is at the very heart of our curriculum. We are committed to promoting a love for reading and not only giving children opportunities to read in English lessons, but in the wider curriculum too.

Reading for parents

When pupils are ready, typically from Year 2 onwards, they select a Sparx Reader book from the appropriately banded collection in our school library. This ensures that children are reading texts that are suitably challenging while also promoting independence and choice. Each pupil has an individual Sparx Reader account and is expected to complete online comprehension quizzes two to three times each week based on their reading. The quizzes provide immediate feedback on pupils' understanding, enabling children, parents and teachers to monitor comprehension and reading progress. Sparx Reader also allows staff to track reading frequency, engagement and attainment, helping to identify when pupils are ready to move on to more challenging texts. Through its personalised approach and motivational reward system, Sparx Reader supports the development of confident, fluent readers who read regularly for both pleasure and purpose.