Reading
Our Reading Curriculum
Intent
At Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, we believe reading is a gateway to knowledge, imagination, and understanding. Our reading comprehension curriculum aims to develop fluent, confident, and reflective readers who are able to engage deeply with texts, think critically, and access the full breadth of our curriculum. Building on the foundations of Read Write Inc. (RWI), Guided Reading supports pupils in developing the skills and understanding needed to become lifelong readers.
Our intent is that all pupils:
• Develop strong comprehension skills, vocabulary, and oracy to understand, discuss, and respond thoughtfully to a range of texts.
• Become active readers who question, predict, infer, summarise, and make connections within and beyond texts.
• Develop a love of reading through exposure to a rich and diverse range of high-quality texts that reflect different experiences and perspectives.
• Think deeply about what they read, developing curiosity, critical thinking, and the confidence to share their ideas.
• Are supported to make progress, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, through targeted teaching and carefully matched support.
• Apply their reading skills across the curriculum to deepen understanding and support learning in all subjects.
Through structured Guided Reading lessons and the use of VIPERS, pupils develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage with texts independently and become thoughtful, enthusiastic readers.
Implementation
Key Stage 2 Guided Reading is delivered through a consistent whole-school approach that develops pupils’ comprehension, vocabulary, and confidence as readers.
• Lessons follow a clear progression of reading skills aligned with the National Curriculum and are structured using VIPERS to provide a focused approach to comprehension.
• Pupils read high-quality, carefully selected texts that challenge thinking, broaden vocabulary, reflect diverse perspectives, and develop a love of reading.
• Text choices are intentionally linked to the wider curriculum, providing opportunities for pupils to revisit prior learning, consolidate knowledge, and pre-teach key vocabulary and concepts to support understanding across subjects.
• Teachers model fluent reading, thoughtful discussion, and reasoning to develop pupils’ ability to infer, analyse, evaluate, and respond to texts in depth.
• Guided Reading supports pupils to make connections between texts and their wider learning, strengthening knowledge retention and encouraging curiosity across the curriculum.
• Ongoing assessment identifies gaps in comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, ensuring pupils receive timely support and appropriate challenge, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Guided Reading builds on the foundations of RWI and supports progression from early reading skills to confident, independent comprehension.
• Reading is celebrated across school and at home through a strong reading culture that encourages enjoyment, discussion, and lifelong engagement with books.
Impact
· The reading comprehension curriculum at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School enables pupils to develop the skills, confidence, and knowledge needed to become thoughtful, independent readers. Pupils are increasingly able to identify and articulate the reading skills they are using, applying VIPERS strategies to explore, discuss, and respond to a range of texts.
· Through explicit teaching, modelling, and carefully planned support, pupils develop stronger comprehension skills, vocabulary, and reasoning abilities. Scaffolding and differentiation ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND and those requiring additional support, are able to access texts, make progress, and experience success as readers.
· Pupils are developing the confidence to engage in discussions, explain their thinking, and make connections between texts and their wider learning. Links to the wider curriculum support pupils in building knowledge, revisiting key concepts, and applying reading skills across subjects.
· As consistency continues to strengthen across the school, pupils are becoming more reflective and capable readers, with clear foundations in place to support strong outcomes and a lifelong love of reading.