English
Reading
At Abbey Hill, we believe that the greatest gift you can give a child is the ability to read. Our Reading curriculum gives every child the tools to unlock learning, broaden their horizons and shape their futures with confidence. We want our Abbeyhillians to see themselves as ambitious readers who can read widely, fluently and with enjoyment, whatever their starting points. Reading enables our children not only to enjoy stories and language but also to acquire knowledge, understand the world around them, and access the full breadth of our curriculum. This reflects our school value of Ambition—we believe that being able to read well is the key that opens the door to lifelong opportunities.
Our Reading curriculum is organised into three interconnected strands:
- Phonics and Fluency
- Comprehension and language development
- Reading for pleasure
These strands ensure complete coverage of the National Curriculum and provide a carefully sequenced progression from Nursery to Year 6. In Early Years and Key Stage 1, we prioritise the systematic teaching of phonics through Little Wandle, building secure foundations in word reading. From Year 2 upwards, children take part in whole-class reading lessons built around our core text spine, which has been deliberately designed to offer both challenge and breadth across genres, cultures and voices, ensuring pupils meet texts that not only inspire them but also build knowledge as reading underpins our curriculum.
We use Little Wandle to provide consistency and rigour in early reading and phonics, ensuring that no child is left behind. In Key Stage 2, comprehension is developed through whole-class reading of high-quality texts, supported by teacher-created materials that encourage deep discussion, inference and vocabulary growth. T
Skills and knowledge are built progressively over time, from the earliest stages of language development and story-sharing, through phonics and fluency, to the ability to think critically about texts in Upper Key Stage 2. Across the curriculum, pupils apply their reading skills in every subject, encountering a rich range of texts that deepen both knowledge and vocabulary.
It is our fundamental intent the end of their journey at Abbey Hill, every child will leave us as a confident, ambitious and motivated reader—able not only to enjoy reading but also to use it as a lifelong tool for learning.