Every child is a reader at Prospect Hill Junior School

At Prospect Hill Junior School, we aim to develop confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers who have the skills to understand a wide range of texts and develop a lifelong love of reading. We recognise that reading is fundamental to children's learning and future opportunities, which is why we place it at the heart of our curriculum.

Developing confident and fluent readers

Our approach to teaching reading is designed to develop fluency, comprehension and a secure understanding of language. Through techniques such as echo reading and choral reading pupils hear and are ancouraged to practise appropriate expression, intonation, phrasing and pace, helping them to become increasingly fluent and confident readers.

Through carefully structured reading opportunities, children are encouraged to discuss what they have read, explore authors' language choices, make inferences and justify their ideas using evidence from the text.

Rich texts and vocabulary development

Our curriculum is driven by high-quality and engaging texts which expose children to a diverse range of authors, genres, characters and experiences that have links to our topic matter. These texts are carefully selected to inspire curiosity and broaden children's understanding of the world.

Through exposure to ambitious vocabulary and opportunities to use new language in different contexts, children develop a broad understanding of language. Reading and listening to well-crafted texts also encourages children to internalise patterns of written language, including sentence structures, phrasing and the ways authors organise their ideas. These experiences support children's comprehension, spoken language and their development as writers.

Promoting reading for pleasure

At Prospect Hill, we aim to create a positive reading culture in which children are excited to discover new books, share recommendations and develop their own reading preferences.

Children are encouraged to read regularly, explore a range of genres and authors, and discuss the books they enjoy. We recognise the importance of giving children opportunities to experience stories for pleasure, including listening to adults read aloud, sharing books with others and choosing texts that reflect their own interests.

We value the important role that families play in developing a love of reading. Each half term, we invite parents and carers into school for our 'reading mornings,' providing an opportunity to share books with their children and strengthen the partnership between home and school in promoting reading for pleasure.

Celebrating reading achievements

Reading is celebrated across our school community. Each term, the class that has demonstrated the most commitment to reading is presented with our Reading Award, alongside a boxset of books for their classroom, recognising their collective dedication and enthusiasm for reading.

During this celebration, one child from every class is also awarded a book in recognition of their individual reading achievements. These children are selected for their effort, positive attitude, progress or other achievements in reading, ensuring that we celebrate not only attainment but also perseverance, enthusiasm and personal development.

Through these celebrations, we aim to motivate children, recognise their successes and reinforce the message that reading is something to be valued, enjoyed and shared.

Ultimately, our intention is for every child to leave Prospect Hill Junior School equipped with the reading skills, vocabulary, confidence and enthusiasm they need to succeed in the next stage of their education and to continue enjoying books throughout their lives.