At Meadowside, we nurture a love of reading from the very start of a child’s journey with us. In Nursery, adults engage children in meaningful conversations about the world around them, encouraging curiosity and language development. Through daily story time, rhymes, poems, and songs, children begin to tune into sounds, rhythm, and rhyme. They learn how to handle books with care, explore the idea that print carries meaning, and start to understand story structure and characters by joining in with repeated phrases and familiar tales.

 

In Reception, children are immersed in rich reading experiences across all areas of learning. Storytelling becomes a key part of their day, with pupils retelling and acting out familiar stories alongside adults and peers. Drama, role play, and book-based activities help bring stories to life. Adults carefully select a wide range of engaging texts that become well-loved favourites, encouraging children to remember, retell, and talk about them. Our Talk for Writing approach supports this further, helping children orally rehearse known stories before innovating and creating their own versions. This strong oral foundation lays the groundwork for confident, enthusiastic readers and writers.

 

In Reception and Year 1, we implement the Flooded Reading approach, where children are divided into small, focused groups with an adult. During these sessions, pupils practise their reading skills using the Little Wandle Phonics Books, allowing for targeted support and development of their phonics knowledge.

 

At Meadowside, we follow the Pathways to Read programme from Year 2 onwards to help pupils become confident, fluent readers through a clear, engaging, and carefully structured approach. Built around high-quality texts, the programme offers detailed lesson plans and resources to support purposeful and meaningful reading lessons for all learners.

Pathways to Read follows a mastery model, focusing on three key skill areas each half term:

– Ongoing skills: these are developed through carefully chosen texts and supported by targeted teaching activities.  

– Core skills: including prediction, vocabulary development, and retrieval, taught consistently across all units.  

– Mastery skills: two to three key reading objectives are selected each half term for children to master in depth.

1. Predict

2. Clarify vocabulary

3. Read and retrieve

4. Read and explain – with a strong emphasis on mastery of comprehension skills.

The final stage, Read and explain, allows pupils to explore texts more deeply, supporting their understanding and application of higher-level reading skills. Following these sessions, grouped reading gives pupils further opportunities to consolidate their learning in smaller groups with adult guidance, promoting discussion, questioning, and personalised support.

 

At Meadowside, this structured approach ensures all pupils are supported and challenged in their reading journey, with a strong emphasis on vocabulary, comprehension, and developing a love of reading.

In addition, pupils have regular opportunities to read aloud to an adult in school each week. This enables staff to assess whether the texts pupils are reading independently are appropriately pitched and offer the right level of challenge to support progress.

As pupils grow in confidence and competence, they are encouraged to take increasing ownership of their independent reading choices, fostering a love for reading and the ability to select texts that inspire and challenge them.

At Meadowside, we believe that reading for pleasure is not only a source of joy and imagination, but also a powerful tool for improving literacy, social skills, and lifelong learning. It opens doors to culture, creativity, and critical thinking, helping pupils become confident individuals and active contributors to their communities. That’s why we place a strong emphasis on promoting a love of reading throughout our school community in a variety of meaningful ways:

Creating a Reading Culture: At Meadowside, we actively promote reading throughout the school. Pupils are encouraged to talk about books, recommend titles to their peers, and develop a strong sense of community around reading.

 

Teachers as Readers: We encourage all staff to be passionate readers themselves and share their love of books with pupils, acting as reading role models across the school. 

 

Storytime: Teachers regularly read aloud to their classes, whether it’s a personal favourite or a book chosen by pupils, to model fluent reading and create shared reading experiences that inspire a love for stories.

 

English Curriculum Engagement: Carefully selected core texts are integrated into English lessons to inspire both reading and writing, ensuring that children are immersed in a literature-rich environment that enhances their learning.

 

Early Reading Experiences: In EYFS and KS1, we promote reading for pleasure in the outdoor areas, where books are naturally embedded into play and exploration, fostering a love of reading from the very beginning.

 

Inviting Reading Spaces: Every classroom is equipped with a cosy, well-stocked reading area filled with age-appropriate books, inviting pupils to explore and dive into reading.

 

School Library: Pupils are encouraged to explore and enjoy our school library during their weekly class slot, which offers a diverse range of books suitable for all reading abilities and interests.

 

Special Events: We celebrate reading through exciting events such as World Book Day, author visits, and book fairs, helping to create a vibrant atmosphere that sparks enthusiasm for reading across the school.

 

At Meadowside, reading for pleasure is woven into the fabric of school life—fostering curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of books.