Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

The Reading Frameworks (2021 and 2023) and the OFSTED Subject Report on English (2024) emphasise the importance of reading fluency and a love of reading in driving all areas of learning.

At CMPS the study of a range of rich texts forms the basis of our whole English curriculum. These texts are selected to ensure coverage of a range of genres and exposure to a range of vocabulary and cultures.

Children are explicitly taught reading every day in class reading sessions which focus on unpicking texts, developing analytical skills and comprehension and developing fluency and oracy.

Reading for pleasure is encouraged and modelled by staff. Children are read to for 20 minutes every day, and have 1 reading for pleasure session as part of reading lessons every week.

In addition, all children who have reached the expected level of oral fluency by Year 3 are part of the Accelerated Reader programme, which assesses reading fluency and comprehension and allows children to choose from a wide range of books specifically matched to their level. Once they have finished a book they are able to take an online quiz to earn points and test their understanding.  

Where children are struggling to read, specific interventions are put in place both in class and 1:1, with further support available to access at home. 

There has been a lot of research about the benefits of reading for both children and adults. Reading for pleasure delivers enormous benefits for children of all ages. It builds reading and literacy confidence as well as influencing children’s health and wellbeing, future academic achievement and adult life chances. Evidence shows that families can play a key role in helping develop a reading for pleasure habit, but it’s not always easy to motivate children who lack confidence or enthusiasm for reading.

Why is reading for pleasure important? (Source Parentkind.org)

• Currently, 1 in 5 children in England cannot read well by the age of 11. We know that reading for fun improves literacy.
• Reading for pleasure is more important to children’s academic success than their parents’ level of education or socio-economic status.
• Embedding a love of reading in children can help their wellbeing later in life.
• 9% of adult readers say that reading stops them feeling lonely.
• Studies have found that those who read for pleasure have higher levels of empathy, greater self-esteem and are better able to cope with difficult situations.