You will see from the minute you walk through the doors at Croftway Academy that we are passionate about developing a lifelong love of reading in every child. Reading is central to our curriculum and is celebrated across the school, from our very youngest learners in our Nursery provision right through to Year 6. We offer a rich and structured reading programme that supports early decoding, builds fluency and comprehension, and most importantly, fosters a love of stories, language and learning.

We use Dojo points for reading at home, which enables our children to achieve awards at key points in their reading journey:

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Nursery

Our curriculum content is driven by a weekly book, which gives children a great hook on which to base their learning.
Children take home a reading for pleasure book and have a reading record, which is checked and stamped weekly during their dedicated library session.
Within the classroom, children enjoy a carefully curated reading corner with fiction, non-fiction, traditional tales, core books and familiar favourites. 

Reception

Reception children experience daily story time, read aloud by the teacher. The children us Daily Democracy to vote for the book they wish to listen to during story time. We group children for Read Write Inc. RWI groups are streamed daily to ensure all children access phonics at the right level. RWI phonics and children are heard reading weekly by an adult. Reading materials to take home include a reading for pleasure book, phonics-based materials (such as sound sheets, blending books, Ditty sheets or Book Bag Books depending on the group) and a reading record.
In school, Teaching Assistants deliver tiered reading and phonics interventions and children have daily access to a well-resourced reading area. 

Key Stage 1 (KS1)

Year 1

Reading for pleasure is prioritised every day in Year 1 with daily story time and follows the same Daily Democracy process as Reception.  Our class stories are often used as our stimulus for writing, which enables them to transfer their reading into writing. 

Each child is heard reading by their teacher weekly and takes home a phonics book matched to their current group, along with a reading for pleasure book and reading record. TAs support learning through same-day phonics interventions, tiered reading programmes and targeted 1:1 tutoring (including use of RWI videos).
Daily streamed RWI sessions, phonics videos in the afternoon and a welcoming book corner support reading development throughout the day.

Year 2

Year 2 builds on phonics and begins to transition to Accelerated Reader (AR) for those children who have completed RWI. The focus of the Year 2 reading lesson is to provide a bridge between the phonics programme and the reading lesson and so it focuses on fluency. Children take home either a phonics book or an AR book within their ZPD, a reading for pleasure book and a reading record.
All children are heard reading weekly by their teacher and a TA. Reading for pleasure remains a key part of the day with dedicated democratically voted for story sessions.
In-school support includes same-day phonics keep-up, tiered readers and a rich book area. Daily reading lessons are provided for children who are no longer accessing phonics building up children’s fluency and comprehension skills.

Lower Key Stage 2 (LKS2)

Year 3 and 4

In Year 3, children continue to access AR and are encouraged to read regularly at school and home. Teachers hear every child read weekly. In Year 4 the children are introduced to Reading Plus to further develop fluency.   They take home a ZPD-levelled AR book, a reading for pleasure book selected from the school library and a reading record. Daily AR reading takes place allowing children to read to an adult and independently. Reading for pleasure happens daily with daily class novel time.

TAs deliver tiered reading interventions and phonics catch-up for identified SEND children.
Children enjoy daily reading lessons which focus on ensuring we build fluent readers who understand what they are reading.

Upper Key Stage 2 (UKS2)

Year 5

Reading in Year 5 is a key driver for developing vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Children take home an AR book (ZPD-matched), a reading for pleasure book, and a reading record. Children in Year 4 use Reading Plus to ensure speed and accuracy of reading continues to build.
They are heard reading weekly and enjoy daily reading for pleasure sessions.
TAs continue to support with phonics catch-ups and reading interventions.
Reading lessons take place daily and all classes have a carefully selected class novel.

Year 6

By Year 6, our pupils are confident and independent readers. Reading continues to be prioritised through daily AR sessions, daily reading for pleasure, and structured reading lessons.
Children are heard reading weekly and take home an AR book, a reading for pleasure book, and a reading record.
Targeted support is provided through tiered interventions for identified children.

EAL readers

Croftway use the Flash Academy programme to support our additional language learners with reading. It allows children to access texts in their first language, complete comprehension activities about this but support the acquisition of English alongside this. This can be accessed at home and at home to support across the family.

Reading Culture at Croftway Academy

Across all year groups, we are dedicated to nurturing fluent, confident, and enthusiastic readers. Our comprehensive approach seamlessly blends structured phonics and targeted interventions with deep reading comprehension, all while prioritising a genuine love for books.

Mrs Sanderson (headteacher), Mr Turner (deputy headteacher) and Miss Brady (SENCO) visit classes throughout the week to read to the children during their reading for pleasure time. It is a wonderful experience for both the children and staff.

Every classroom features a thoughtfully curated book corner filled with a diverse selection of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and traditional tales. From cozy story times in Nursery to analytical text discussions in Year 6, our ultimate mission is to inspire every pupil to become a lifelong reader.

Our school library is vibrant and its theme reflects the local beach. We have a substantial range of AR books, fiction and non-fiction reading for pleasure books, curriculum content and a dedicated ‘Additional Language’ section.

School Readers

Croftway signs up to School Readers which is an organisation which matching volunteers to schools and enables children to read to an adult in school.