GLF Schools

GLF Schools

GLF Schools was founded in 2012 in order to enable the federation of Glyn School (an academy in 2011) and Danetree Junior School. Together, we began our journey to become a MAT of more than 1000 talented staff working with over 10,000 children in 40 schools across 5 regions in southern England.

Our Schools

Banbury Region

Banstead Region

Berkshire & Hampshire Region

Caterham Region

Crawley Region

Didcot Region

Epsom Region

London Boroughs

Redhill Region

Sunbury & Camberley Region

English - Reading

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Subject Overview

In Early Years, children listen to a range of stories, developing their understanding of what has been read to them.  The children are taught to retell stories and narratives using their own words and will begin to anticipate key events in stories.  They are supported to use and understand new vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role-play.  Children progress from noticing sounds in the environment around them to saying a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at digraphs through a systematic phonics programme called Read Write Inc.  They will be taught to blend to read whole words and will read simple sentences aloud.

In Key Stage 1, reading builds upon the work from Early Years, making sure that children can sound and blend unfamiliar words quickly and accurately and building towards reading words without overt sounding and blending.  Once children are confident with this in Year 2, they move to a whole class reading approach focused on comprehension skills and participating in discussion about fiction, non-fiction and poetry.  Children also share a variety of high-quality texts to develop their vocabulary and encourage a love of reading.  They become familiar with a range of traditional tales and fairy stories and will join in with predictable phrases, noticing rhyme and discussing the meaning of words which are new to them.

Curriculum Intent

At Pine Ridge and Lorraine, our intent for reading is to instil a lifelong love of literature and language.  We aim to ensure that every child is equipped with the skills essential for reading fluency and comprehension, fostering both academic and personal growth.  Our reading curriculum is designed to encourage children to immerse themselves in a variety of texts, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and digital literature, tailored to meet diverse interests and backgrounds.  It will continue to ground our programme in systematic synthetic phonics, ensuring all children are equipped with the foundational skills necessary for decoding and encoding words with confidence.  We will focus not only on the mechanics of reading but also on understanding, allowing children to make connections, infer meanings, and respond critically to texts.  At Pine Ridge and Lorraine, we reflect the multicultural tapestry of our community through literature, ensuring that all children see their identities and experiences represented in the books they read.  To support you reading with your child at home, we engage parents through workshops, reading sessions, and resources that empower them to support reading at home.

Curriculum Implementation

The implementation of our reading strategy is designed to create a rich reading culture across the school.  We employ a rigorous phonics programme which is consistent across all year groups.  Daily phonics sessions are tailored to children's developmental stages, using a range of resources and interactive activities that create a stimulating learning environment.  Our classroom reading corners are filled with carefully selected texts that reflect a wide range of genres and cultures.  We regularly update our libraries to include contemporary and classic works, ensuring relevance and engagement.  Each week, children in Year 1 participate in Talk through stories sessions, focused around a chosen text where they discuss questions and opinions about the text.  In Year 2, children participate within whole class teaching reading sessions, allowing them to work on their comprehension skills systematically.  We implement ongoing formative assessments to monitor children's progress in reading, adjusting instruction to meet individual needs.  Summative assessments help evaluate the effectiveness of our reading curriculum at the end of key stages.

What a typical lesson looks like
  • In Year 1, children will explore a chosen text over a series of 5 days.  During these lessons, the children will explore the text together as a class.  They will develop an awareness of the vocabulary within the text and begin to answer simple questions regarding what they have read.
  • In Year 2, children continue to develop their awareness of a range of different genres and begin to become more independent reader thinkers.  They will revisit the same text over the week and begin to explore the Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary from the text.  Echo reading and timed reading activities make up some of these sessions, which have a range of different question types for them to answer.

SEND and Inclusion

We prioritise the success of every child and their development, providing the skills and knowledge to become lifelong learners.  Children who may need additional  support with reading may have Phonics tutoring every day over a week as well as regular reading sessions with the class teacher and support staff.  At Pine Ridge and Lorraine, we carefully plan to ensure every child leaves us with the skills to become a confident reader and writer.

How can I support my child in English?