St Anthony's Drive, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS11 8AB

0113 2716 963

info@HG-PS.org

Hugh Gaitskell Primary School

One world, one school

Reading

At Hugh Gaitskell Primary School we understand the importance of reading, therefore, we have put in place a new procedure which will allow our pupils to continue reading at home during this time. We have also added some information on how you can make the most out of reading at home.

Click this link to see our new reading procedure

Reading forms the core of our curriculum. All children read and are read to so that they develop a love of Reading. Books are selected by teachers with the knowledge of how they link to other areas of the curriculum.

  • Reading Scheme – school uses a variety of different reading schemes to provide a wide variety of appropriate quality texts for children to read covering all genres. The schemes incorporated into our reading provision include: Oxford Reading Tree, Project X, Classic texts and recommended reads. 
  • Classic Texts – all children will have classic texts read to them in all year groups. This may include traditional fairy tales/rhymes in FS and KS1 to established classic novels in KS2.  
  • All children from year 2 complete the STAR reading test on Accelerated Reader to ensure they read appropriately challenging books.  
  • In KS1 teachers have been trained to assess the progress children have made by applying a ‘running record’. This is regularly is checked termly and Reading books bands are changed accordingly.  
  • Individual Reading – all children read individually to an adult weekly. Throughout school a minority of children will read 1 to 1 with an adult as a form of intervention. Reading with the teacher/TA is tracked weekly and monitored by a member of SLT. 
  • Home Reading – all children are expected to read at home and take home ‘home’ reading books. All children in EYFS and Year 1 take home reading books, which are phonetically plausible. Children in Year 2 who did not pass Phonics Screening in Year 1 take home 2 reading books matched to their phonic knowledge. Children in KS2 take home a book according to the teacher assessment level which is supported by the coloured bands linked to Accelerated Reader.   
  • Guided Reading – all children from Y1 take part in Guided Reading. Guided Reading Sessions, which run x3 sessions per week, are planned by all teachers to teach a range of skills and techniques which enable children to comprehend the meaning of what they read and develop their understanding of the vocabulary used by authors.  
  • Reading Areas All classrooms have class reading areas with subject specific books and other age-appropriate reading for pleasure books.   
  • Library - All children visit the school library bus each week and choose a book to read for pleasure.

Education Endowment Fund research indicates that reading comprehension approaches deliver an additional six months’ progress. Successful reading comprehension approaches allow activities to be carefully tailored to pupils’ reading capabilities and involve activities and texts that provide an effective, but not overwhelming, challenge.

Accelerated Reader

Our pupils in Key Stage 2 are all part of the Accelerated Reader (ARTM) programme. At Hugh Gaitskell Primary school, reading is a priority and we aim to give all children the support that they need to become passionate and confident readers. Therefore it is vital that we ensure our children are reading appropriate books and more importantly that they have a good understanding of these texts. AR helps our teachers do this effectively. Below you will find common questions about Accelerated Reader and how it is used.

 

 What is Accelerated Reader (AR)?

 AR is a computer program that helps teachers manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Children in KS2 at Hugh Gaitskell Primary school,  pick a book at his/her own level and reads it at his/her own pace. When finished, children take a short quiz on the computer - passing the quiz is an indication that the child has understood what has been read. AR gives both children and teachers feedback based on the quiz results which the teacher then uses to help the child set targets and ongoing reading practice.

Children using AR have a free choice of the books they read, rather than having one assigned to them. This makes reading a much more enjoyable experience as they feel in control and can choose books that are interesting to them. Teachers will help your child choose books that are at an appropriate reading level. These will be challenging without being frustrating and will also be at a level at which your child can pass the quiz and experience success. If your child does not do well on the quiz, the teacher may assist him/her by:

 

  • Helping choose another book that is more appropriate
  • Asking more probing questions as your child reads and before he/she takes a quiz
  • Pairing your child with another pupil or even having the book read to your child.

 In most cases, children really enjoy taking quizzes. Since they are reading books at their own reading and interest levels, they are likely to be successful. This is satisfying for most children. Best of all they learn and grow at their own pace.

 

How does the school determine my child’s reading level?

 Teachers determine your child’s reading level in one of three ways: a STAR Reading test, a reading age estimation from a standardised test, or by using his/her best professional judgement based on his/her knowledge of your child. 

 

What is a STAR Reading test?

 STAR Reading is a computer-based reading assessment program that uses computer-adaptive technology. Questions continually adjust to your child’s responses. If the child’s response is correct, the difficulty level is increased. If the child cannot answer a question or answers incorrectly, the difficulty level is reduced. The test uses multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 10 minutes.

 

What is a Book Level?

Book Levels are reported using the ATOSTM readability formula and represent the difficulty of the text. The levels range from 0.5–13.5. Books are chosen based on the ZPD range recommended for each pupil by STAR Reading.

What is a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)?

 In independent literature-based reading, ZPD is the range of books that will challenge a child without causing frustration or loss of motivation. Your child will receive a ZPD range after taking a STAR Reading test or teachers can use their best professional judgement to determine a ZPD. It is important for children to read with a high degree of comprehension and within his/her ZPD. ZPDs should be adjusted based on the needs and ability of your child.

 

What are points?

 Every book that has an AR Reading Practice Quiz is given a points value. AR points are based on the difficulty of the book (ATOS readability level) and the length of the book (number of words).

Children earn points on a pro-rata basis depending on how well they do on the Reading Practice Quiz. For example, a pupil who takes a 5-question quiz on a book worth 1 point will earn 1 point for 5 correct answers (100%), 0.8 point for 4 correct answers (80%) and so on. A pupil who reads a book worth 5 points and takes a 10-question quiz will earn 5 points for 10 correct answers (100%) 4.5 points for 9 correct answers (90%), etc. A child needs to pass a quiz with a score of 60% or higher to earn points.

  

My child is not a strong reader. Can he/she still use Accelerated Reader?

 Accelerated Reader helps all children at Hugh Gaitskell Primary school become better readers from pupils with special needs to those who are gifted and talented. When children read books at their appropriate level, they experience success. Furthermore, teachers work with children to set appropriate targets based on each child’s reading level.