English – Reading

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Primary - phases 1 & 2

At Milestone Academy, we support all students, regardless of their background or social disadvantage.

It is our intent to:

  • Ensure that all our students are at the centre of a broad, varied and interesting English curriculum.
  • Expose all students to learning experiences that will equip them for their future, in the hope that they will acquire the personal qualities, attitudes, skills, knowledge and understanding necessary for personal fulfilment and a developing social responsibility in a rapidly changing world. 
  • Foster a love of reading, demonstrating enthusiasm and excitement for it. 
  • Deliver a curriculum that is planned considering the local context of the academy and provides opportunities to become familiar with and enjoy listening to a wide range of stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction texts. 
  • Ensure students are appropriately exposed to a language rich environment, giving opportunities for children to develop their cultural capital and access it through the early reading skills they learn. 
Brook
  • Students working on the ‘Engagement Model’ access daily phonics activities. Although not taught discretely,  phonics is integrated into the students’ daily routines and is often delivered through sensory and exploration activities working on the seven stages of phonological awareness – Listening and Speaking skills, rhyme awareness, syllable awareness, onset and rime and phonemic awareness. For example, through song, sensory stories, TAC PAC and Rebound.  
  • All students have access to books within their classroom environment, as well as a weekly library session to encourage reading for pleasure. With adult support, students are immersed in reading books, exploring tactile books or being read to. Where deemed appropriate, students may take a library book home for family members to read to them. 
  • Students are regularly exposed to ‘sensory story’ sessions where they are immersed in a text through the use of props and sensory experiences linked to the story. The texts chosen have been identified as  ‘high-quality’, engaging and age/stage appropriate. These may take the form of bag books, topic-themed, seasonal stories and massage stories.
  • Students working on the ‘Engagement Model’ and up to M7, access daily phonics activities. Although not taught discretely, phonics is integrated into the students’ daily routines and is often delivered through sensory and exploration activities working on the seven stages of phonological awareness- Listening and Speaking skills, rhyme awareness, syllable awareness, onset and rime and phonemic awareness. For example, through song, sensory stories, TAC PAC and Rebound.  
  • All students have access to books within their classroom environment, as well as a weekly library session to encourage reading for pleasure. With adult support, students are immersed in reading books, exploring tactile books or being read to. Where deemed appropriate, students may take a library book home for family members to read to them. 
  • Students are regularly exposed to ‘sensory story’ sessions where they are immersed in a text through the use of props and sensory experiences linked to the story. The texts chosen have been identified as being ‘high-quality’, engaging and age/stage appropriate. These may take the form of bag books, topic-themed, seasonal stories and massage stories.
  • Students working at M8, or those who show the level of understanding needed, follow the Read Write Inc programme for phonics. Read Write Inc is an effective and systematic programme for teaching reading. It is a phonics complete literacy programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. Students working on the RWI programme access a daily 10 minute phonics session
  • Students following the RWI programme access a decodable reading scheme, appropriate to their current phonics level. They have weekly opportunities for 1:1 reading with an adult and can take their book and reading record between school and home. For those students who cannot yet access a decodable reading scheme, they have the opportunity to take home a ‘reading for pleasure’ book of their choice from the school library to share with a member of their family.
  • Students who have mastered all Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds and who, regardless of age, have achieved a ‘pass’ on the KS1 Phonics Screening check, access a reading comprehension session four times a week. They are also able to select a ‘free reader’ text to read at school and home. 
  • Students working at M4-M7 access daily phonics activities. Although not taught discretely,  phonics is integrated into the students’ daily routines and is often delivered through sensory and exploration activities working on the seven stages of phonological awareness – Listening and Speaking skills, rhyme awareness, syllable awareness, onset and rime and phonemic awareness. 
  • Students working at M8, or those who show the level of understanding needed, follow the Read Write Inc programme for phonics. Read Write Inc is an effective and systematic programme for teaching reading. It is a phonics complete literacy programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. Students working on the RWI programme access a daily 20-minute phonics session. 
  • Students following the RWI programme access a decodable reading scheme, appropriate to their current phonics level. They have weekly opportunities for 1:1 reading with an adult and can take their book and reading record between school and home. For those students who cannot yet access a decodable reading scheme, they have the opportunity to take home a ‘reading for pleasure’ book of their choice from the school library to share with a member of their family.
  • Students who have mastered all Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds and, who regardless of age, have achieved a ‘pass’ on the KS1 Phonics Screening check, access a reading comprehension session four times a week. They are also able to select a ‘free reader’ text to read at school and home. 
  • All students have access to books within their classroom environment, as well as a weekly library session to encourage reading for pleasure. Students are able to choose their own reading books to read to themselves or share with an adult or a group of their peers. Where deemed appropriate, students may take a library book home to share with their families. 
  • Students have a daily, adult-led storytime session, the texts chosen link to the PYP topic themes and have been sequenced appropriately; they are also ‘high-quality’, engaging and age/stage appropriate.
  • Students working at M8 or those who show the level of understanding needed, follow the Read Write Inc Phonics programme. Read Write Inc is an effective and systematic programme for teaching reading. It is a phonics complete literacy programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. Students working on these programmes access a 30 minute phonics session, four times a week. 
  • Students following the RWI programme access a decodable reading scheme, appropriate to their current phonics level. They have weekly opportunities for 1:1 reading with an adult and can take their book and reading record between school and home. 
  • Students who have mastered all Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds and, who regardless of age, have achieved a ‘pass’ on the KS1 Phonics Screening check, access a reading comprehension session four times a week. They are also able to select a ‘free reader’ text to read at school and home. 
  • Students have weekly text-based English lessons. The texts are chosen to link to the PYP topic themes; they are also ‘high-quality’, engaging and age/stage appropriate texts.

The aspiration for all students at Milestone Academy is to achieve their maximum potential in reading. All student achievement and progress is celebrated and can be demonstrated by:

  • Learners being happy and aspirational.
  • Students making progress towards/achieving their intended outcomes and individualised targets. 
  • Progress and achievement in all subjects is recorded within reports to parents/carers in either their Annual Reviews, Tapestry, Curriculum Reports or Parent Consultations. Progress will be monitored through termly Pupil Progress Meetings.
  • An instilled love of reading.
  • Promoting independence for their next stage of learning. 
  • Preparing them for adulthood through lifelong communication skills.

secondary - phases 3 & 4

At Milestone Academy, we support all students, regardless of their background or social disadvantage.

It is our intent to:

  • Ensure that all our students are at the centre of a broad, varied and interesting English curriculum.
  • Expose all students to learning experiences that will equip them for their future, in the hope that they will acquire the personal qualities, attitudes, skills, knowledge and understanding necessary for personal fulfilment and a developing social responsibility in a rapidly changing world. 
  • Foster a love of reading, demonstrating enthusiasm and excitement for it. 
  • Deliver a curriculum that is planned, considering the local context of the academy and provides opportunities to become familiar with and enjoy listening to a wide range of stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction texts. 
  • Ensure students are appropriately exposed to a language-rich environment giving opportunities for children to develop their cultural capital and access it through the early reading skills they learn.
Brook
  • Students working on the ‘Engagement Model’ access daily phonics activities. Although not taught discretely, phonics is integrated into the students’ daily routines and is often delivered through sensory and exploration activities working on the seven stages of phonological awareness – Listening and Speaking skills, rhyme awareness, syllable awareness, onset and rime and phonemic awareness. For example, through song, sensory stories, TAC PAC and Rebound.  
  • All students have access to books within their classroom environment, as well as a weekly library session to encourage reading for pleasure. With adult support, students are immersed in reading books, exploring tactile books or being read to. Where deemed appropriate, students may take a library book home for family members to read to them. 
  • Students are regularly exposed to ‘sensory story’ sessions where they are immersed in a text through the use of props and sensory experiences linked to the story. The texts chosen have been identified as being ‘high-quality’, engaging and age/stage appropriate. These may take the form of bag books, topic-themed, seasonal stories and massage stories.
  • Students working on the ‘Engagement Model’ and up to M7 access daily phonics activities. Although not taught discretely, phonics is integrated into the students’ daily routines and is often delivered through sensory and exploration activities working on the seven stages of phonological awareness – Listening and Speaking skills, rhyme awareness, syllable awareness, onset and rime and phonemic awareness. For example, through song, sensory stories, TAC PAC and Rebound.  
  • All students have access to books within their classroom environment, as well as a weekly library session to encourage reading for pleasure. With adult support, students are immersed in reading books, exploring tactile books or being read to. Where deemed appropriate, students may take a library book home for family members to read to them. 
  • Students are regularly exposed to ‘sensory story’ sessions where they are immersed in a text through the use of props and sensory experiences linked to the story. The texts chosen have been identified as being ‘high-quality’, engaging and age/stage appropriate. These may take the form of bag books, topic-themed, seasonal stories and massage stories.
  • Students working at M8, or those who show the level of understanding needed, follow the Read Write Inc or RWI Fresh Start programme for phonics. Read Write Inc is an effective and systematic programme for teaching reading. It is a phonics complete literacy programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. Students who have not yet mastered the Set 1 sounds, follow the RWI programme. Whilehose who have moved onto mastering the Set 2 sounds follow the Fresh Start programme. Students working on these programmes access a 20 minute phonics session, four times a week. 
  • Students following the RWI programme access a decodable reading scheme, appropriate to their current phonics level. They have weekly opportunities for 1:1 reading with an adult and can take their book and reading record between school and home. For those students who cannot yet access a decodable reading scheme, they have the opportunity to take home a ‘reading for pleasure’ book of their choice from the school library to share with a member of their family.
  • Students on the RWI programme who have not mastered the Set 1 & 2 sounds or the ability to segment and blend, also access the DSA ‘See and Learn’ sight reading programme alongside their phonics lessons. This is to equip them with the ability to recognise simple words and phrases in the community, preparing them for independent adult life beyond Milestone
  • Students who have mastered all Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds and who, regardless of age, have achieved a ‘pass’ on the KS1 Phonics Screening check, access a reading comprehension session four times a week. They are also able to select a ‘free reader’ text to read at school and home. 
  • Pupils working at M4-M7 access daily phonics activities. Although not taught discretely,  phonics is integrated into the students’ daily routines and is often delivered through sensory and exploration activities working on the seven stages of phonological awareness – Listening and Speaking skills, rhyme awareness, syllable awareness, onset and rime and phonemic awareness. 
  • Students working at M8, or those who show the level of understanding needed, follow the Read Write Inc or RWI Fresh Start programme for phonics. Read Write Inc is an effective and systematic programme for teaching reading. It is a phonics complete literacy programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. Students who have not yet mastered the Set 1 sounds follow the RWI programme. While those who have moved onto mastering the Set 2 sounds follow the Fresh Start programme. Students working on these programmes access a 20 minute phonics session, four times a week. 
  • Students following the RWI programme access a decodable reading scheme, appropriate to their current phonics level. They have weekly opportunities for 1:1 reading with an adult and can take their book and reading record between school and home. For those students who cannot yet access a decodable reading scheme, they have the opportunity to take home a ‘reading for pleasure’ book of their choice from the school library to share with a member of their family.
  • Students on the RWI programme who have not mastered the Set 1 & 2 sounds or the ability to segment and blend, also access the DSA ‘See and Learn’ sight reading programme alongside their phonics lessons. This is to equip them with the ability to recognise simple words and phrases in the community, preparing them for independent adult life beyond Milestone
  • Students who have mastered all Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds and, who regardless of age, have achieved a ‘pass’ on the KS1 Phonics Screening check, access a reading comprehension session four times a week. They are also able to select a ‘free reader’ text to read at school and home. 
  • All students have access to books within their classroom environment, as well as a weekly library session to encourage reading for pleasure. Students are able to choose their own reading books to read to themselves or share with an adult or a group of their peers. Where deemed appropriate, students may take a library book home to share with their families. 
  • Students have a daily, adult-led storytime session, the texts chosen link to the PYP topic themes and have been sequenced appropriately; they are also ‘high-quality’, engaging and age/stage appropriate.
  • Students working at M8 or those who show the level of understanding needed follow the Read Write Inc or RWI Fresh Start programme for phonics. Read Write Inc is an effective and systematic programme for teaching reading. It is a phonics complete literacy programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. Students who have not yet mastered the Set 1 sounds follow the RWI programme. While those who have moved onto mastering the Set 2 sounds follow the Fresh Start programme. Students working on these programmes access a 30 minute phonics session, four times a week. 
  • Students following the RWI programme access a decodable reading scheme, appropriate to their current phonics level. They have weekly opportunities for 1:1 reading with an adult and can take their book and reading record between school and home. 
  • Students who have mastered all Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds and who, regardless of age, have achieved a ‘pass’ on the KS1 Phonics Screening check, access a reading comprehension session four times a week. They are also able to select a ‘free reader’ text to read at school and home. 
  • Students have weekly text-based English lessons. The texts are chosen to link to the PYP topic themes; they are also ‘high-quality’, engaging and age/stage appropriate texts.
  • Students are given the opportunity to sit the Edexcel ‘Functional Skills Level 1 or 2’ exam. This qualification is designed to prepare the learner for work, study and life. 

The aspiration for all students at Milestone Academy is to achieve their maximum potential in reading. All student achievement and progress is celebrated and can be demonstrated by:

  • Learners being happy and aspirational.
  • Students making progress towards/achieving their intended outcomes and individualised targets.
  • Progress and achievement in all subjects is recorded within reports to parents/carers in either their Annual Reviews, Tapestry, Curriculum Reports or Parent Consultations. Progress will be monitored through termly Pupil Progress Meetings.
  • An instilled love of reading
  • Promoting independence for their next stage of learning. 
  • Preparing them for adulthood through lifelong communication skills.