Reading

Intent

At Sharp Lane, reading lies at the heart of our curriculum and opens the door to learning across all subjects. Our intent is to develop confident, fluent readers who read with enjoyment, understanding, and purpose. We aim for all pupils to become lifelong readers who engage with a rich range of texts and appreciate the power of literature. Through a carefully sequenced reading curriculum, aligned with the National Curriculum and Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, we aim that all pupils:

• Secure strong foundations in phonics to read accurately and fluently.
• Engage with a wide variety of high-quality, diverse texts that broaden knowledge, imagination, and cultural understanding.
• Apply essential comprehension skills through DERIC—Decode, Explain, Retrieve, Interpret, and Choice—to deepen their understanding of what they read.
• Develop a love of reading for pleasure, recognising reading as a vital skill that opens up new opportunities.

We aspire for every child to see themselves as a reader—ASPIRATIONAL in their progress, BELIEVING in their ability, COMMITTED to developing fluency and understanding, and keen to DISCOVER new perspectives through texts.

Implementation

Through the National Curriculum and EYFS Framework, our reading provision:

• Follows a rigorous and systematic synthetic phonics programme, Floppy Phonics, ensuring early success and providing support for pupils who need to keep up.
• Includes daily reading opportunities, including whole-class reading sessions, independent reading, and activities that develop fluency, prosody, and comprehension.
• Builds comprehension skills progressively through structured DERIC teaching, enabling pupils to decode, explore vocabulary, retrieve information, infer meaning, and understand writer’s intent.
• Ensures pupils access class novels and carefully chosen high-quality texts that enrich learning across the curriculum.
• Promotes reading for pleasure through author experiences, library use, book corners, shared reading, and a culture where reading is valued and celebrated.
• Provides targeted interventions and support for pupils who need additional help in developing fluency or comprehension.
• Embeds reading across the wider curriculum so that every subject reinforces essential literacy skills.

Impact

By the time pupils leave Sharp Lane, they will:

• Be fluent, confident readers who can decode, comprehend, and enjoy a wide variety of texts.
• Demonstrate strong comprehension skills, enabling them to interpret, analyse, and discuss what they read.
• Possess a broad vocabulary developed through exposure to rich and diverse literature.
• Read for pleasure and talk confidently about books, authors, and their own reading preferences.
• Use their reading skills to access learning across all subjects, supporting success across the curriculum.
• Be fully prepared for the next stage of their education, equipped with the reading knowledge and skills essential for lifelong learning.

If you would like additional guidance on what to include in your child's reading record, you can find extra information here.

At Sharp Lane, reading is at the heart of learning. Pupils enjoy daily taught reading sessions (DERIC) to build fluency and comprehension, alongside time for reading for pleasure (Accelerated Reader).

All classrooms have well-stocked book areas with fiction and non-fiction texts. Leeds Library Services further enriches our reading resources. Pupils are encouraged to read widely in other subjects and independently at home or school. Teachers monitor progress and provide guidance to ensure reading skills continue to develop.

DERIC (Decode, Explain, Retrieve, Interpret, Choice) uses engaging texts - from novels to poems and non-fiction - adapted for all abilities, including SEND and EAL pupils. Across the school, children are encouraged to read widely, independently, and at home.

What is DERIC?

DERIC is a whole-class reading approach that is closely linked to the National Curriculum and End of Key Stage assessments. Each lesson has one learning objective, adapted for different abilities, and uses a variety of texts - from class novels to poems and non-fiction - to support all learners.

Learning objectives are carefully selected from the Rising Stars Progression framework or school-based assessments, ensuring pupils are challenged and supported. Exposure to higher-level questions and texts helps lower-ability readers make rapid progress, while pictorial and scaffolded activities support comprehension where needed.

Reading schemes

In Foundation Stage and KS1 the schemes used are:

• Phonics Bug & Bug Club (for phonic decoding)
• Jelly & Bean (for phonic decoding)
• Oxford Reading Tree
• Project X
• Rigby Star

In KS1 and KS2, pupils continue to progress through the School Reading Scheme until they have completed it and are then able to become free readers. 

Accelerated Reader Useful Information for Parents 

Accelerated Reader Book Finder

Parent's Guide to Accelerated Reader