Reading at Kellands

At Kellands, our reading programme is designed to help children develop confidence, fluency and a real enjoyment of books. As pupils move through the school, they experience a carefully planned progression of texts, beginning with wordless picture books and moving on to Oxford Reading Tree stories, non‑fiction texts and, eventually, chapter books.

Children take part in small‑group reading sessions where they learn key skills such as:

Decoding new and unfamiliar words
Using intonation, expression and punctuation to bring a story to life
Developing oral comprehension, including discussing characters, events and vocabulary

These sessions allow children to practise reading aloud while receiving targeted support from their teacher.

In the upper stages, pupils also take part in whole‑class reading lessons. These lessons explore a wide range of genres linked to class topics, helping children deepen their understanding of:

Different text types and writing styles
Themes, language choice and author techniques
How meaning is created across various forms of media

Whole‑class reading encourages rich discussion and builds higher‑level comprehension skills.

The survey of 71,400 children and young people by the National Literacy Trust early in 2023 has revealed that fewer than one in three children (28%) aged eight to 18 read daily for enjoyment. While this remains the same as for 2022, the figure stood at 38% when the survey began in 2005, marking a 26% fall in those who read daily.

Why is there a decline in reading for pleasure?

Games and online distractions
Rise in social media
Find books boring
Lack of time
Not being read to from an early age by adults (at home and school)
Seeing reading as a process for learning rather a pleasure activity

‘Reading for pleasure' is being confused with 'literacy' by many parents at home who commonly don't realise that the more it's pushed as a school subject, the less likely a child is to choose to do it. In the school environment, the curriculum focuses on reading skills above reading pleasure. However, when pleasure drives reading, children achieve more.