Learning to Read at Harry Gosling
At Harry Gosling Primary School, we believe that reading is the key to unlocking a world of knowledge, imagination, and opportunity. A love of reading not only fuels curiosity but also lays the foundation for academic success and lifelong learning. We are committed to inspiring our children to become passionate, confident readers who find joy in books and embrace reading as a gateway to discovery.
Through a rich and engaging reading curriculum, we nurture a culture where books are cherished, stories come to life, and every child is empowered to achieve their full potential. Reading is at the heart of everything we do because we know that well-read children become high achievers, critical thinkers, and lifelong learners.
At Harry Gosling, we don’t just teach children to read—we inspire them to love reading.
Our Phonics Programme
At Harry Gosling Primary School, we follow the Read Write Inc. (RWI) Phonics Programme, a structured and engaging approach that helps children become fluent, confident readers. The programme is carefully designed to develop early reading skills step by step, ensuring that all children progress at their own pace while building strong foundations in phonics, decoding, and comprehension.
Nursery: Developing Early Listening and Sound Awareness
Our journey with RWI begins in Nursery, where children are introduced to early phonics through engaging activities that develop their listening skills, sound recognition, and oral blending. Through songs, rhymes, and playful exploration of sounds, they begin to develop phonemic awareness—the crucial first step in learning to read.
Reception: Building Phonics Knowledge and Blending Skills
In Reception, children are introduced to the first set of letter sounds and learn how to blend them together to read simple words. Daily phonics lessons follow the RWI scheme, ensuring children build confidence in recognizing and using phonemes (letter sounds) and graphemes (written letters). They begin reading matched storybooks that help reinforce their phonics learning, supporting both fluency and comprehension.
Key Stage 1: Mastering Phonics and Reading Fluency
As children move into Year 1, they continue progressing through the RWI programme, learning more complex sounds, including digraphs (e.g., "sh", "ch", "ai") and trigraphs (e.g., "igh", "air"). They practice decoding longer words and develop fluency through structured reading sessions with carefully matched books. This prepares them for the Phonics Screening Check, where they demonstrate their ability to decode words independently.
By Year 2, children who have mastered phonics transition to developing greater fluency, expression, and comprehension skills. Those who need further support continue with targeted phonics interventions to ensure they become confident, skilled readers.
Through this structured approach, we ensure that every child at Harry Gosling Primary School becomes a fluent, enthusiastic reader—equipped with the skills they need for lifelong learning and success.
For more information on RWI, visit:
- Read Write Inc. Official Website
- Parent Guide to Phonics (PDF)
- How to Pronounce Pure Sounds (Video)
Big Read
Once children are able to decode texts accurately, they continue learning to read through lessons we call ‘Big Read.’ From the end of Year 2 to Year 6, the children read a whole text together as a class. We have carefully designed our curriculum to immerse pupils in rich, diverse and challenging texts, encouraging them to think deeply and engage in meaningful discussions. We believe that comprehension is an outcome of skilled reading rather than a separate skill to practice, so our reading lessons focus on helping pupils construct a mental model of the text to fully understand its meaning, as highlighted in the Teaching Reading Framework (TRF). There are three types of Big Read lessons taught, with questioning remaining as the thread through each to facilitate deep thinking and discussion around vocabulary meaning and effect, authorial choices, character study and larger themes of the text. Through these lessons, we aim to improve the children’s understanding and use of vocabulary, ability to read fluently with prosody, ask and answer questions about the text and increase their love of reading in general.
Types of Big Read Lessons
Our KS2 reading curriculum is structured around three key lesson types, each designed to build different aspects of reading proficiency. In all lessons there is an element of recollection, vocabulary exploration and questioning opportunities. Each week, all question domains are covered during Big Read lessons, ensuring a comprehensive approach to reading comprehension and engagement.
- Fluency Sessions:
- Teachers model fluent reading with prosody, followed by echo reading, phrasing, and choral reading.
- Pupils engage in reading aloud individually, in pairs, or chorally.
- Extended Reading Sessions:
- These sessions focus on reading larger text extracts, balancing independent silent reading with reading aloud.
- Rich discussion and questioning opportunities are integrated to clarify and summarise key points.
- Close Reading Sessions:
- Aimed at deepening understanding of a specific text section, these sessions involve repeated readings and discussions on themes, vocabulary, and literary devices.
While reading is a component, the main focus is on discussion and questioning to enhance comprehension.
Accelerated Reader
In Key Stage 2, we continue to nurture a love for reading and develop deeper comprehension skills through the Accelerated Reader (AR) programme. AR is a powerful tool that helps children choose books at the right level, ensuring they are both challenged and engaged in their reading. After completing a book, children take an online quiz to assess their understanding, encouraging them to think critically about what they have read. This process helps to develop comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency while fostering independent reading habits.
At Harry Gosling Primary School, we use AR to guide children towards books that match their reading ability, gradually increasing the complexity as their skills grow. Regular STAR Reading assessments help us track progress and ensure every child is reading at an appropriate level. Through a combination of dedicated reading time, teacher guidance, and access to a rich variety of books, we create an environment where children become confident, motivated, and well-read individuals.
By the time children leave us, they have not only developed strong reading skills but also a lifelong appreciation for books and learning.
Developing a Culture of Reading
Recommended Reads
At Harry Gosling Primary School, each year group has a specially curated Recommended Reads list, designed to introduce children to a diverse and enriching range of books. These carefully selected titles provide age-appropriate, high-quality literature that fosters a love for reading, broadens perspectives, and enhances learning across the curriculum.
A thoughtfully curated recommended reads list is more than just a resource—it's a gateway to lifelong learning, creativity, and academic success. Research shows that children are far more likely to pick up an unfamiliar book if it comes recommended by someone they trust. At Harry Gosling, we aim to inspire children to step beyond their usual reading choices, opening doors to stories they may not have explored on their own.
Children who read for pleasure not only develop a lifelong love of learning but also cultivate skills that transcend the classroom. A carefully curated list introduces them to engaging stories, diverse perspectives, and age-appropriate content that spark imagination and emotional growth.
To ensure our selections are impactful, we consulted trusted sources, including the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), Pie Corbett’s Reading Book Spine, the Book Trust, and Tower Hamlets Education Partnership’s Equal Representation list. The resulting collection features a blend of new and classic texts, chosen for their age-appropriateness, cultural richness, and literary quality. Some selections also align with classroom topics, enhancing children’s understanding and knowledge while nurturing empathy and curiosity through exposure to a variety of genres, cultures, and ideas.
By sharing these recommended reads, we hope to build a stronger home-school connection, encouraging families to take an active role in their child’s reading journey. Together, we can amplify the joy and discovery of reading.
Dive into these books with your child and open their world to the magic of literature. When children find joy in reading at an early age, they are far more likely to carry this habit into adulthood, becoming lifelong learners and readers.
Our Reading Corners
At Harry Gosling Primary School, our reading corners are carefully designed to be inviting, engaging spaces where children can explore a diverse range of books. Each classroom’s reading area is stocked with a thoughtfully chosen collection of current, classic, and topic-linked texts, ensuring that children have access to literature that both inspires and enhances their learning. Alongside much-loved classics and exciting new releases, we include books that complement our curriculum topics, deepening children’s understanding of subjects in a meaningful and enjoyable way. Whether it’s a historical novel bringing the past to life, a science-themed adventure sparking curiosity, or a beautifully illustrated picture book celebrating diversity, our reading corners encourage children to read widely, think deeply, and develop a true love for books.
Story time
In our school, story time is a cherished part of our daily routine, fostering a love for reading and storytelling across all year groups. In Early Years, children enjoy story time twice a day, immersing themselves in a world of rich language, imagination, and rhythm through carefully chosen picture books, traditional tales, and engaging read-alouds. This frequent exposure helps develop their vocabulary, listening skills, and early comprehension.
From Year 1 to Year 6, story time takes place every afternoon from 3:15 to 3:30 pm, providing a calm and enjoyable end to the school day. Teachers read aloud from high-quality books, ranging from modern favourites to timeless classics, ensuring children experience the joy of storytelling beyond phonics and guided reading. This dedicated time not only builds fluency and comprehension but also strengthens classroom relationships as children share in the magic of a well-told story.