Learning to read is one of the most important things your child will learn at school, therefore at Westleigh, reading is at the forefront of our school and forms a key part of our curriculum. We understand the importance of reading within the curriculum and how this can help children progress through their life. Reading has a profound impact on a child's educational outcomes, mental wellbeing and it is also a joyful, magical experience for the children. 

We start this exciting reading journey by exposing the children to books in our Nursery and this then develops into the beginning of our phonics teaching in Reception up until Year 2 (see phonics tab for more information on this). Once children begin to blend sounds together, they practise with reading books that are matched to their phonics level and the 'tricky words' that they know. This helps their confidence and self-esteem giving them the belief and willingness to read more. 

When children have completed our Phonics programme (Read, Write Inc), they will then choose books based on their reading ability. They will do this through our reading programme: Accelerated Reader.

Accelerated Reader will be accessible to children in Years 2-6. The children will complete a quiz each half term, which gives them their ZPD (challenge level). The children will visit our library to choose any book they want within their challenge level. Each time they complete a book, they will complete a quiz to build on their understanding of stories. As the year goes on, we hope that children will move up in their challenge levels. Reading is very important and through in school incentives and a wonderful choice of books within our library, we hope that children will foster a love of reading.

Children can access their Accelerated Reader account here https://ukhosted131.renlearn.co.uk/6708226/ using their login details.

We have introduced story time as a key part of our reading curriculum and this runs from our Nursery class all the way up to Year 6. It is such an important part of a child's journey through reading to be read to. This is why we have integrated this into our weekly timetable for all classes. The children will be exposed to a wide range of magical texts that will ignite their imagination and excite them.  We call these texts 'Communication Books'.

Children are encouraged to read for 20-30 minutes daily with parents and guardians at home. We please ask that you sign their communication planners and reading records when this is completed.