Reading at Bentworth

Early Reading

At Bentworth Primary School, we use the Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics program to deliver robust, targeted phonics teaching so that our children have the best possible start to their reading journey.   All of our teachers, from Nursery through to Year 6, are fully trained in the RWI programme, ensuring a consistent approach across the school. Our team of RWI Practitioners are relentless in their dedication to ensuring each and every Ark Bentworth child masters phonics as early as possible.

In phonics lessons, children learn one thing at a time, then keep practising it until they are ready to move onto the next skill. The RWI approach ensures that everything connects - children connect sounds with mnemonic pictures, words with their meanings, stories with the sounds they know, and children connect their own experiences to the stories they read.

From the very first week, we teach phonics every single day. Children are grouped according to their phonic ability so that every child makes rapid progress and any children falling behind are quickly identified. Our Phonics Team are trained to a high standard to ensure every phonics lesson is delivered with high expectations.  Any child who needs a little extra support or an intervention, will receive it.

We invest in the development of our Read Write Inc teachers through an ongoing relationship with the RWI team and regular coaching from our experienced Phonics Lead. We understand the importance of engaging parents: the Phonics Lead holds parent workshops and maintains an ongoing dialogue with parents regarding their children’s reading.

Children in Year 1 receive two phonics lessons each day to ensure they are fully prepared for the Phonics Screening Check. In addition, we make sure that children in Early Years and Key Stage 1 enjoy a dedicated story time at the end of every day, helping them to develop a love of reading alongside their phonics learning.

Ongoing Phonics Instruction
Phonics does not end after the pupils have taken their phonics screening test. We continue to utilise the phonics programme in reading lessons across the school to help pupils decode unfamiliar words. We also continue to develop children by supporting them with interventions if and when they need some extra practise to ensure they continue to make progress in their skills.

Vocabulary
At Ark Bentworth, we use implicit and explicit vocabulary instruction so that the children can build their ability to embed new words into their writing and speech. We promote independent vocabulary acquisition by teaching pupils how to construct meaning from the structure of words, context and using reference guides. Vocabulary is particularly important to give the children a wide range of word and word awareness to ensure a successful future.

Fluency
In order to comprehend a text, pupils must be able to read quickly and accurately, with a strong understanding of punctuation and sentence structures of varying complexity. At Ark Bentworth, pupils regularly read aloud throughout the week, receiving feedback from their teacher and hearing fluent reading modelled. This regular practice develops accuracy, fluency, and expression, ultimately freeing ‘cognitive space’ for deeper comprehension.

The importance of reading is also reflected in the sheer volume of language children are exposed to. By the age of five, a child who is rarely read to may have heard only a few thousand words, while a child read to daily will have heard nearly 300,000. Those who enjoy multiple books a day or over a week will have heard over a million words. This exposure to rich language provides the essential foundation for confident, successful reading. At Ark Bentworth, we want to ensure all children have heard over a million words, so we put a big emphasis on all children being heard read, all children developing their vocabulary not just in reading but across all of their foundational subjects and all children being proud of their vocabulary knowledge.

Comprehension Instruction
Within our Reading & English lessons, children learn the necessary comprehension skills of retrieval, inference, paraphrasing and sequencing. They also learn to make connections between texts, to discuss and evaluate ideas and to express opinions. We teach pupils how to construct meaning in a text and a range of strategies to aid comprehension, including predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarising.

Reading for Pleasure
Reading for pleasure is one of the most powerful ways to support children’s learning and development. That is why Reading for pleasure is at the heart of our reading curriculum. Research shows that while 33% of 7-year-olds love reading, this figure falls to only 25% by the age of 11. Children who read for pleasure not only achieve more academically but also enjoy better mental wellbeing. Yet this benefit is increasingly becoming a privilege, with reading enjoyment now at its lowest level since 2005.

At Ark Bentworth, our mission is to reignite the joy of reading by bringing stories alive. Through daily class reading, a carefully chosen reading spine, and exciting reading events across the year, we show children that reading is enjoyable, freeing, and important. We also empower pupils to become independent readers by giving them autonomy during weekly library sessions, where they can choose books that reflect their own interests.

Every child takes part in daily reading for pleasure sessions, engaging in rich discussions about books and exploring a wide range of high-quality texts, both fiction and non-fiction. Alongside this, daily story time gives children the opportunity to enjoy stories with their teacher and classmates. We further celebrate reading through whole-school events such as World Book Day and poetry showcases, where pupils can share their creativity and passion for literature. All teachers read with passion to bring the stories to life for our children.

Visiting the library regularly gives children the opportunity to explore a wide range of books, from exciting stories to fascinating facts, sparking curiosity and imagination. A library visit not only encourages a love of reading but also helps children build important skills such as vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking. Beyond academics, reading for enjoyment nurtures creativity, empathy, and confidence, making it an essential part of a child’s growth

Reading at Home
Here at Ark Bentworth, we recognise that children need constant practice to become confident readers, which is why we place a strong emphasis on reading at home as well as at school. In order to truly comprehend a text, pupils must be able to read quickly and accurately, with a clear understanding of punctuation and sentence structures of varying complexity. To support this, every child from Early Years to Year 6 is expected to read at least five times a week and record their reading in a reading record book, with parents and families encouraged to play an active role.

We also value the importance of variety in reading. Whether it’s a chapter book, magazine, comic, recipe, or any other form of text, all reading is valuable and contributes to developing children’s skills, interests, and confidence. By showing children that reading takes many different forms, we nurture their curiosity and help them see that reading can be both practical and enjoyable in everyday life.

Throughout the week, pupils also read aloud in class, giving them the opportunity to receive feedback from their teacher and to hear fluent, expressive reading modelled. This regular practice not only strengthens accuracy and fluency but also frees up ‘cognitive space’ for comprehension. Our staff check in on children’s reading habits and book choices, ensuring that every pupil is supported to grow as a reader. Alongside this daily practice, we celebrate reading through shared stories, partner class activities, assemblies, awards, and events such as World Book Day. Together with families, our mission is to inspire pupils to become confident, enthusiastic, lifelong readers.

#LetsGetReading