Reading

What does reading look like at Great Missenden?

Our Intent:

At Great Missenden, we are readers. We believe in developing a culture that encourages a desire and love for reading whilst providing a diverse range of texts for all pupils to access. The enjoyment of reading is crucial to developing pupils’ reading interests and habits and we encourage children to listen to others’ reading, share their own reading and spend time discussing the books and authors they enjoy. We aim for all of our children to leave primary school with the ability to read confidently and enjoy a wide range of texts and become lifelong readers. In EYFS and Key Stage 1, we teach reading skills through the use of Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to develop pupils’ phonics, decoding, prosody and comprehension skills and in Key Stage 2, the use of VIPERS supports our reading comprehension skills. Those who need additional support with their phonics or reading comprehension receive interventions to ensure pupils’ reading needs are met as we believe this is crucial to accessing the curriculum and life beyond Great Missenden school.

Reading - links to our school vision and values

At Great Missenden School, reading is a vital part of nurturing our values and shaping the whole child. Through Faith and Community, reading helps children understand different beliefs, build empathy, and feel part of something bigger than themselves. Shared stories foster a sense of belonging and connection, helping children grow together as a caring community. Reading also teaches Love and Respect—for oneself, for others, and for the world. Whether exploring friendships, families, or unfamiliar cultures, books help children see the value in kindness, compassion, and treating every person with dignity. Through Truth and Courage, reading inspires children to seek honesty, ask questions, and stand up for what is right. Stories introduce brave characters, difficult choices, and moral lessons that encourage children to develop inner strength and a clear sense of right and wrong. In every book, there is a chance to grow—not just as readers, but as people shaped by strong values and a love of learning.​

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Reading provides windows to look out and explore the wider world, helping children develop curiosity, empathy, and understanding of diverse cultures and experiences. It opens doors to new opportunities, sparking imagination, creativity, and the foundational skills needed for lifelong learning and success. And most importantly, books act as mirrors, reflecting each child's identity, background, and voice, allowing them to see themselves valued and represented. Through reading, we empower our pupils to grow as confident, compassionate, and connected individuals.​

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Reading - links to World View/ SIAMS

At our school, reading is more than a key academic skill – it is a gateway to cultural capital and life beyond Great Missenden. Through a wide range of texts, children can encounter different experiences, beliefs, values, and viewpoints that broaden their horizons and enrich their understanding of the world. Reading supports our Religious Education/World View curriculum and SIAMS vision by nurturing empathy, fostering respect, and encouraging reflection on diverse perspectives. By exploring stories and ideas from a variety of cultures, faiths, and historical contexts, pupils learn to challenge assumptions, question societal norms, and appreciate the richness of human experience. This not only deepens their understanding of their own and others’ traditions but also helps them make meaningful connections with people from all walks of life.

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Some recommendations for diverse and inclusive books for different age groups can be found here:

Best children's books - Diverse & Inclusive Books for EYFS

Top Diverse Books for KS1 – Inclusive Reads for Young Learners

Top Diverse and Inclusive Books for Lower KS2 (Ages 7-9)

Best children's books - Diverse & Inclusive Books for Upper KS2​

What our staff and pupils think about reading at Great Missenden

Year 3:

If you can read, you can write and you need both for nearly everything!

I can imagine it in my head. It gets me intrigued and my imagination runs wild.

I enjoyed reading the extract in 

Year 4:

I like it when we act out the stories to help us to understand how they work and why they’re good.

I like my teacher’s reading because her wonderful voices help me understand character and we always discuss new words to build our vocabulary.

It helps you write, it helps you understand, it helps you with EVERYTHING?

Year 5: 

In reading lessons we learn new words, which builds our vocabulary, which means we can become better authors.

Reading gives us greater meaning it gives us characters to aspire to.

Year 6:

We understand the books we read more through discussion, we see more by listening to other people’s opinions.

Staff member/parent:

The new Guided Reading structure (Autumn 2021), in my opinion, has been a huge success (speaking as an LSA and parents at the school). It is head and shoulders above anything I've seen practised for Guided Reading before, with fun and interesting topics that really grab the children's attention. In particular the poetry and songs have been great at encouraging interesting discussions with the children, and the set questions are clear and easy to follow meaning that comprehension practice is still challenging but achievable for every child.

Staff member:

There are clearer links to VIPERS with more structure and the children enjoy reading more and more throughout the year.