Reading Beyond Phonics
Following phonics, our reading curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced to ensure pupils build reading knowledge and skills cumulatively over time. It includes extended reading, vocabulary, fluency and close reading lessons which provide structured opportunities for revisiting content and addressing gaps in understanding, supporting all learners to make sustained progress. Leaders and teachers demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of reading as a distinct subject, however links are made across writing and the wider curriculum, which informs teaching choices and supports precise evaluation and improvement. Curriculum decisions are continually refined using evidence and insight from both internal monitoring and wider educational research such as the latest EEF guidance.
Extended Reading Lessons
Drawing on the research of Christopher Such, our extended reading sessions incorporate a diverse range of genres, sometimes linked to our wider curriculum, to expose pupils to varied vocabulary, writing styles, and content areas. In these lessons, teachers explicitly model reading fluency whilst children track the text in their own copy of the book, and there is a strong focus on language acquisition and development. Pre-reading activities are used to build background knowledge and contextual understanding, supporting pupils in accessing more complex texts. We embed metacognitive strategies such as summarising, questioning, clarifying, and predicting to help pupils monitor their comprehension and engage actively with the text. Collaborative discussion is also a key feature, allowing pupils to share interpretations and deepen understanding through peer dialogue. This approach not only strengthens individual reading proficiency but also fosters a supportive community of readers.
Vocabulary Lessons
We deliver comprehension lessons using Alex Quigley’s SEEC model—Select, Explain, Explore, Consolidate—to support explicit vocabulary instruction. This structured approach ensures pupils learn key vocabulary in depth, understand its meaning and usage, and can apply it across contexts.
Fluency Lessons
Our fluency lessons consist of eight key components structured to target children’s reading fluency through successful decoding practice and repeated reading. Children observe the modelling of fluent reading and explicitly practice it. You can find out more on our fluency page.
Close Reading Lessons
Our close reading lessons use an evidence-based approach, which emphasise purposeful, structured engagement with texts to develop deep comprehension. These lessons are designed to help pupils read carefully and critically, focusing on how meaning is constructed through language, structure, and authorial choices. Teachers guide pupils through short, rich extracts, modelling analytical thinking and encouraging high-quality discussion. Pupils are supported to make precise inferences, explore vocabulary in context, and respond to challenging questions that require justification and reasoning. Close reading builds disciplinary knowledge, helping pupils to understand not just what a text says, but how and why it communicates meaning. This approach ensures that pupils develop the skills to engage thoughtfully with complex texts across the curriculum.