Reading
At Coleshill Church of England Primary School, our vision for reading is grounded in the belief that every child is entitled to flourish academically, spiritually, and personally. We are committed to developing fluent, confident readers who take joy in reading and value it as a lifelong skill. Through rich, diverse and high-quality texts, we aim to broaden pupils’ vocabulary, deepen their understanding of the world, and nurture their ability to think critically and express informed opinions. Our reading curriculum is designed to inspire curiosity, promote equality of access, and close the Word Gap by ensuring all children encounter ambitious language and meaningful reading experiences. Guided by our Christian values, we strive to cultivate a community of readers who feel empowered, motivated, and equipped to engage with texts for purpose, learning, and pleasure.
In Key Stage 2, teachers plan and deliver a daily 30-minute reading session structured around the VIPERS framework. VIPERS, developed by Rob Smith (The Literacy Shed), aligns with the 2016 Reading Content Domains set out in the National Curriculum Test Framework for both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. The acronym supports pupils’ recall of the six key domains identified as essential for developing strong reading comprehension.
The VIPERS domains focus specifically on comprehension rather than the technical aspects of reading such as decoding, fluency, or prosody. VIPERS is therefore not a reading scheme; instead, it is a consistent approach that ensures teachers ask a broad and balanced range of question types. This structure enables teachers to monitor the questions posed and the pupils’ responses, supporting targeted questioning and intervention as required.
The six VIPERS domains are:
- Vocabulary
- Infer
- Predict
- Explain
- Retrieval
- Summarise
reading for Pleasure
At Coleshill Church of England Primary School, Reading for Pleasure is promoted as a central part of our reading culture. We actively encourage a love of reading through a range of whole-school initiatives and daily practices. Our pupil Reading Champions play a key role in advocating for reading across the school, inspiring their peers and supporting reading-focused events. Annual reading sponsorship activities further strengthen our community engagement while celebrating pupils’ achievements as readers. We mark national events such as World Storytelling Week and World Book Day to highlight the joy and value of stories.
Pupil voice consistently shows that shared class reading time is one of the most valued parts of the school day, reflecting the importance we place on high-quality class texts. Weekly Reading for Pleasure sessions and regular opportunities for book talk enable pupils to explore texts, express preferences, and develop positive reading identities. Through these approaches, we aim to ensure that every child experiences reading as enjoyable, meaningful and enriching.
Why is reading for pleasure important?
Reading Enrichment
Below is a wonderful celebration of reading across our school – from World Book Day fun and fundraising for new books, to visits from parents, grandparents and community storytellers. Children enjoyed trips to the bookshop and Coleshill Library, and inspiring visitors helped launch exciting writing projects.
