All children have access to many exciting and stimulating reading materials. They have opportunities to listen to fiction and poetry read to them by adults or other children.
A range of reading activities is systematically planned for in the classroom. These take place during the whole class teaching of reading. The sessions are planned to develop reading skills and techniques, such as prediction, reflection and understanding of a wide variety of aspects of literature.
Children use an English journal in which to record any comprehension work and activities. Children take home reading books with their English journal. They are able to record the books they have read in the reading log in this journal.
Each class book corner has a selection of fiction and non-fiction materials. Through topic work and visits to Croydon Library, children have opportunities to develop reference and study skills. The school makes use of an increasing bank of artefacts, visual material, DVDs, and other computer programmes to enhance this aspect of the English curriculum.
The school has the Oxford Reading Tree scheme and other levelled reading books in which children are able to choose books tailored to their learning needs. Children work their way up the stages until they are able to become free readers.