The aim of the curriculum for Guided Reading is to promote a love of reading in students and to expose them to a range of texts from different genres and countries. This is done by delivering well-planned, high-quality Guided Reading lessons using carefully chosen texts which will appeal to the students, and perhaps introduce them to texts they would not choose themselves. In Guided Reading, we read the whole book as a group so that students can see how the story develops and get hooked into the weekly ‘episodes’. It is important for students to have a language-rich curriculum which develops their literacy, auracy and oracy. The Guided Reading curriculum is designed to promote curiosity and ultimately, to inspire students to read more often, widely and independently.

Guided Reading makes a vital contribution to students’ progress in reading and enables them to develop emotionally, intellectually, culturally and socially. It introduces the students to a wide range of genres and authors which gives them the opportunity to encounter high-quality texts and language that will challenge them and widens their view of the world. Through weekly Guided Reading lessons, we hope that students will develop their reading comprehension, alongside thinking skills through thought-provoking high-quality discussions about the reading. With the frequent interaction of texts and dialogue in lessons, this will in turn develop the students’ oracy and reading comprehension skills.

The programme aims to support students in reading words and working out the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words and the quick recognition of familiar printed words. Reading regularly also helps student work out the meanings of unfamiliar words and introduces them to changing the meaning in different contexts. It will develop students’ spoken language as students will have regular opportunities to read aloud. We want all students to gain confidence in their reading skills, improve fluency and gain new vocabulary.

We would like for the students to become enthusiastic and motivated readers and provoke thought within a non-critical environment. Each of the lessons have resources to support the learning focusing on key words and pronunciation, Reading is the most important area for students to practise in order to achieve across all subjects. Exams are language-heavy so students need a rich, varied and academic vocabulary to be able to read, understand and respond in timed conditions. Reading regularly not only develops their vocabulary but also increases their fluency, speed and ease of reading. These skills benefit all subjects, and support the students beyond school.