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Reading

📖 "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."

— Richard Steele

🌟 Reading at High Halden Primary School

At High Halden, we see reading as more than just a skill — it's a gateway to imagination, knowledge, and lifelong learning. We want every child to become a fluent, confident reader who chooses to read for pleasure, for purpose, and for personal growth.

Reading is central to our curriculum, supporting not only English but also enriching learning across subjects. We want children to read widely, think deeply, and enjoy every step of their reading journey.

📚 A Rich and Structured Reading Curriculum

  • 📘 In Early Years and Key Stage 1, children are given fully decodable books matched to their phonics level to build confidence and fluency. We use the Floppy Phonics programme to deliver Systematic Synthetic Phonics effectively and consistently.

  • 📖 As children become fluent decoders, we introduce them to richer, longer texts to deepen comprehension and nurture a love of reading.

  • 📊 We use the Accelerated Reader programme to ensure every child is reading books matched to their individual reading level, supporting both progress and engagement. You can find out more about Accelerated Reading at High Halden by visiting the dedicated page. 

🔤 Phonics at High Halden

  • We teach phonics using the Floppy Phonics programme in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Children are assessed regularly to ensure they are making progress and to identify any who may need additional support.

  • Through a consistent, engaging and evidence-based approach, children develop strong foundations in phonics, word recognition, and decoding, setting them up for success in reading and writing.

You can find out more about Phonics at High Halden by visiting the Phonics page. 

👀 Whole Class Reading: Teaching Comprehension

🐍 What Are VIPERS?

At High Halden, we use VIPERS to help structure and strengthen children’s reading comprehension skills. VIPERS is not a reading scheme — it’s a powerful tool that supports teachers in asking targeted, purposeful questions during reading sessions and helps pupils become confident, thoughtful readers.

🔤 What Does VIPERS Stand For?

VIPERS is an acronym used to recall the six key reading domains from the UK reading curriculum:

  • 🧠 V – Vocabulary: Understanding the meaning of words

  • 🔎 I – Inference: Reading between the lines to interpret meaning

  • 🔮 P – Prediction: Anticipating what might happen next

  • 💬 E – Explanation: Explaining ideas and discussing meaning

  • 📥 R – Retrieval: Finding and recalling key information

  • 🔁 S – Sequence (KS1) or Summarise (KS2): Ordering events or summarising content

📚 Why We Use VIPERS

VIPERS focuses purely on the comprehension aspect of reading, not on decoding, fluency, or phonics. It helps pupils:

  • ✅ Become familiar with a wide range of question types

  • 🤔 Develop higher-level thinking and discussion skills

  • 📈 Improve their ability to interpret and engage with texts

It also enables teachers to:

  • 🎯 Track the kinds of questions being asked

  • 📊 Monitor children’s responses and understanding

  • 🛠️ Adjust teaching through targeted questioning

📚 Reading for Pleasure

Reading for pleasure is celebrated in every classroom:

  • 🛋️ Daily reading time where children choose books for enjoyment

  • 📰 Encouragement to bring in and share real-world reading (e.g. newspapers, menus, leaflets)

  • 🌍 Discussions about what pupils are reading outside of school

  • 📖 Daily teacher read-alouds to immerse pupils in stories, poems and non-fiction texts

Our aim is to make reading feel like an invitation, not an obligation — full of drama, discovery, and delight.

⏰ Regular Reading Opportunities

We provide plenty of chances for children to read and be read to throughout the week:

  • 🤝 1:1 reading with teachers and teaching assistants

  • 📖 Reading sessions with parent volunteers and support staff

  • 👩‍🏫 Daily class story time to model expression, fluency and enjoyment

These regular interactions help children build fluency, develop a positive relationship with reading, and grow their vocabulary and comprehension over time.

🚪 Opening Doors Through Reading

At High Halden, we believe reading is the key that unlocks every subject. By nurturing curiosity, building confidence, and celebrating reading in all its forms, we empower our pupils to become lifelong readers — ready to explore the world, one page at a time.

Here's some of the texts that we will be enjoying this year...