Reading at Alder Tree

At Alder Tree we develop reading skills with a systematic approach with three key strands; ‘Learn to Read’, ‘Read to Learn’ and ‘Read for Pleasure’. This approach allows children to make links in their learning, develop connections and schema between subjects and become high performers across all curriculum areas. Our aim is for all children to be confident, fluent readers by the time they leave school and be ready for their next stage in education.



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Recommended Books for Children Aged 4-5

Download our DEAR leaflet to find out more!

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Promoting the love of reading at Alder Tree Primary with DEAR.

Please look at the curriculum page to access how we teach reading with writing throughout school in detail within English lessons and focused reading sessions. 



Below is how we promote the love of reading in each child across the whole community:

  • DEAR Individual sessions

    These sessions take place twice a week (minimum) in all classes for individual reading to build their reading identities and enjoyment of reading. These sessions encourage informal book talk. 

  • DEAR whole class sessions

    This is where teachers read the class novel with the pupils using read aloud techniques. These sessions are three times a week as a minimum. 

  • DEAR parent sessions

    Every week it is a different class’s turn to invite their parents in to read with them. Check the family overview for this 

  • Reading Journals

    This year we excited to have reading journals which encourage children to write , draw  and talk about their favourite stories. This is something you can do at home with your child. 

  • Reading Identities

    At the beginning of the year each class explore how they see themselves as a reader

  • Book-talk

    We value the importance of book-talk and aim to provide children with the opportunities to talk about books, develop the confidence to offer ideas and then reshape them in light of other contributions.  This happens in all reading activities

  • Visits to the school Library

    All classes have a weekly slot to visit our wonderful library. Children have the opportunity to choose books, engage in book talk and listen to stories read by others. 

  • Reading in the curriculum

    Reading forms a pivotal part of our curriculum. We carefully select high quality non-fiction texts to support enquiry based learning within the wider curriculum as well as engaging fictional stories lined to the curriculum. 

  • Our teachers are expert readers

    This means that when they read aloud to children, they provide a model of fluency and expression that children can then replicate in their own reading. 

  • Reading Displays and areas

    Our aim is create inviting reading areas in classrooms and across school that encourages children to read willingly and happily. 

  • Poetry in our Reading Curriculum

    Reading poetry helps to develop important language and literacy skills. Every class has a poetry book for every term. 

  • Pop up Book shop

    We collaborate with The Children’s Book Trust to provide every child a chance to visit the pop up book shop twice a year to receive two free books. 

  • Fund raising

    In order to ensure we can continually provide engaging stories and texts, we aim to fundraise for new books. We partner with The Little Book Shop in Chapel Allerton and order all books from there. Please donate when you can on the arbor app or into the school office. 

The most effective, important and bonding thing you can do with your child is cosy up and read a book. We hope you enjoy doing this.

‘There can be few things as powerful as regularly reading to a young child. It has astonishing benefits for children: comfort and reassurance, confidence and security, relaxation, happiness and fun. Giving a child time and full attention when reading them a story tells them they matter. It builds self-esteem, vocabulary, feeds imagination and even improves their sleeping patterns.  literacytrust.org.uk

1. LEARN TO READ 2. READ TO LEARN 3. READING FOR PLEASURE
Read Write Inc / Pixl / Guided Reading Learning Labs / Enquiry Based Learning Story Telling / Spotlight / Year Group Authors
Early Reading at Alder Tree is taught through Systematic Synthetic Phonics – the Read Write Inc program teaches word reading as well as comprehension strategies and is aligned with the Read Write Inc reading scheme to ensure all children read books that are matched to their phonic knowledge. All children in Years Reception, 1 and 2 have daily phonics lessons, children in Key Stage 2 have phonics lessons or spelling lessons 3 times per week. When children are secure in their phonic knowledge and can successfully and fluently read books, they become a 'free reader' to continue their reading progression whilst having more freedom to choose texts and develop their love of reading. Guided reading is taught daily from Years 1-6 and focuses on developing fluency (through echo and choral reading) and comprehension strategies. Year 1 and 2 use the Story books from Read Write Inc. Years 3-6 use a whole class reading model with focus on explicitly teaching vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval and summarising/sequencing alongside fluency. Reading is at the heart of our curriculum. Children are encouraged to find out new things and deepen their understanding by reading and exploring texts. The quality texts used have been carefully mapped out to provide challenge and deepen understanding of the thematic curriculum; this allows cross-curricular exposure to reading for different purposes. Timetabled enquiry sessions support our curriculum – children have a clear rationale for accessing the school library and class libraries during curriculum enquiry time including the use of Learning Labs and provision areas. These are enhanced with purposeful books that promote enquiry and inform teaching sequences. Students have time to explore topics that interest and inspire them, they use analysing skills to develop their critical thinking and use information in productive ways to produce a range of outcomes. At Alder Tree we promote a love of reading, our class novels are based around 2 key authors per year group. This allows children to become fully immersed in the style of particular writers and gives an in-depth look at the works of important literary figures. Our resident story-teller provides story sessions for all year groups for an immersive experience into stories. This develops student’s creative thinking skills, supports development of oracy, confidence in reading and writing and provides a space for imagination. Our ‘Spotlight Authors’ are aligned with our school community and represent the diverse experience of the children at Alder Tree. We focus on one author per half term, story sessions are built around the author’s work. Student’s learn to see alternative perspectives and The ATP library has been redeveloped to encompass our values ‘Believe, Belong, Become’ in a magical woodland scene. This helps children become immersed in stories and be transported away from a formal learning environment to one of imagination and relaxation.

For more information on Reading at Alder Tree – see the Curriculum page.