Reading at Howitt Primary

    Community School     

At Howitt Primary Community School, we firmly believe that reading is the gateway to learning and knowledge. That’s why we are committed to delivering a well-rounded approach to teaching reading.

Our reading provision includes systematic phonics, fluency lessons, VIPERS strategies, comprehension skills, and of course, dedicated time for storytelling and enjoying books together.

Our aim is to foster a lifelong love of reading by promoting a wide range of literature and nurturing a passion for books in every child. We want all our pupils to become confident, enthusiastic readers for life.

Year 5 and 6 Meet Author Berlie Doherty June 2025

Year 5 and 6 were incredibly lucky to take part in a virtual meeting with the award-winning author Berlie Doherty. Berlie, a celebrated local writer from the Derbyshire Peak District, has written over 60 books across a wide range of genres and for all age groups.

We are currently reading her best-selling novel Street Child as part of our Victorians topic, so it was especially exciting to speak with the author herself! Pupils had the fantastic opportunity to ask her questions about the book, her inspiration, and her life as a writer. It was a truly inspiring experience for all.

Berlie also commented after reading some of our writing: 

" I really have enjoyed reading them, in fact I feel they're every bit as good as my own chapters! You have built up the atmosphere of the workhouse really well, and also have shown Jim's hatred of the place and his desperate desire to get away. That's very important in story-writing, because it helps the reader to understand the reason behind the action, builds up tension, and makes us really nervous in case Jim doesn't make it!"

World Book Day 2025

To celebrate World Book Day, we were treated to a fantastic in-school performance of Treasure Island. The exciting adventure was brought to life on stage, captivating pupils from Year 1 to Year 6. It was a memorable experience that everyone thoroughly enjoyed!

World Book Day 2024

On World Book Day itself, we were very lucky to see an amazing production of 'The Wizard of Oz' performed for us in school. This really brought the book to life and was thoroughly enjoyed by all children from year one to year six.

'The Big Read' Autumn Term 2023 

The whole school 'BIG READ' was such a success last year that we decided to run it again. Our KS2 pupils really enjoyed working with our EYFS and KS1 pupils to support them with their reading. They carefully selected the books by thinking about what younger children like to read. They then rehearsed reading their chosen book with fluency and expression, and planned the questions they wanted to ask about the text. Some of our pupils read to groups and some read one-to-one. It was incredible to see both our older and younger children interacting with the same book.

Developing a love of reading is vital. We are continuing to develop our library further so that it is well stocked with both fiction and non- fiction texts. All classes are provided with weekly time to explore the library. 

Our reading books are levelled to match the progression in phonics. The enables us to challenge them at an appropriate level and to ensure accelerated learning. We provide pupils with a range of fiction and non-fiction texts.

It is our aim for every child to be reading at age related expectations by the end of the year. However, some children may need extra support with their reading in order to achieve this. 

Below are some of the reading interventions that we use: 

• Toe by Toe
• Buddy reading 
• Additional 1:1 or group reading with either the class teacher or a teaching and learning assistant 
• Words First 
• Additional phonics lessons

Reading at home

Pupils are given books to take home and read with their parents or other adults. We recommend reading with your child at least 3 times a week for approximately 10 to 15 minutes each time. We need you to help your child by listening to them reading and asking questions about what they have read. Asking them questions about what they have read will help to check they have understood the text. To help your child become a fluent reader, please ask them to repeat sentences until they are being read fluently. Remember, this doesn’t always have to be their school reading book, it could be a book that they own from home. It is really important that you sign the reading journal daily with comments on their reading. We would also like to know if the book is too challenging, too easy or your child is simply not enjoying the book. We appreciate your continued support in helping the children to make progress with their reading.

Reading Reward Scheme

To help promote enjoyment for reading, we have set up a reading reward scheme. Whenever a child reads to an adult, please record it in their reading record as they gain rewards for reading at home. They receive a reward after 10, 30, 60 and 100 reads at home. We wonder who will be the first child to read 100 times at home? 

Questions to use when reading with your child at home

Please click on the links below for examples of questions you could ask your child when reading with them. While reading with your child, try to choose one questions from each section.

V - Vocabulary and Visualise

I - Infer 

P - Predict

E - Explain

R - Retrieve

S - Sequence and Summarise

You could ask more than one type of questions per page. This will check that your child really understands what they are reading and could lead you into further conversations about the book. 

Both teachers and teaching assistants will use similar questions when reading 1:1, in a small group or during shared reading lessons.

If you are worried about your child’s reading, please either leave a note in their reading record or ring school to arrange for your child’s teacher to ring you back.