Reading

Intent

At St. Mary's, reading is at the heart of our curriculum. We are committed to developing confident, fluent, and enthusiastic readers who read for both purpose and pleasure. We believe that reading opens doors to knowledge, imagination, and opportunity, and it is central to every child’s success in school and beyond.

Our intent is that all pupils:

  • Develop fluency, accuracy, and stamina in reading through a systematic, well-sequenced approach.

  • Build comprehension, inference, and analytical skills that enable them to understand and discuss a wide range of texts.

  • Engage with books that reflect diverse voices, experiences, and cultures.

  • Develop a lifelong love of reading through access to high-quality texts and positive reading experiences at school and at home.

Our reading curriculum is designed to ensure every pupil becomes a confident, skilled and enthusiastic reader. It provides a clear, well-sequenced journey from early phonics to mature independent reading, underpinned by high-quality texts and a culture that celebrates reading in every part of school life.

Implementation

Early Reading and Phonics

Our youngest learners begin their reading journey through the Read Write Inc. programme. This systematic, synthetic phonics approach enables children to master the essential skills of decoding and blending so they can read words accurately and with increasing fluency.

Alongside phonics, children are immersed in language-rich activities that develop vocabulary, comprehension and a love of storytelling. Once secure in the Read Write Inc. programme, pupils are ready to move on to the next stage of their reading journey.

Further information about our phonics and early reading provision can be found on our phonics page.

 

Developing Fluency and Comprehension

When children complete the Read Write Inc. programme, they progress onto Literacy Counts – Ready Steady Read Together. This whole-class shared reading approach builds on pupils’ secure decoding skills and helps them develop fluency, vocabulary, and deep comprehension through the study of high-quality, engaging texts that link with other areas of the curriculum. 

Ready Steady Read Together Book List and Curriculum Links 

Each unit is centred around a rich class book and includes structured teaching of reading fluency, vocabulary exploration, and discussion of key themes and ideas. Children learn to retrieve information, make inferences, justify opinions and reflect critically on what they read.

We chose Ready Steady Read Together because it provides a clear, sequenced progression in reading knowledge and comprehension skills, ensuring that learning builds year on year. Teachers assess progress through guided reading, questioning, and discussion, identifying next steps so that all pupils continue to grow as confident, reflective readers.

Y2 Progression      Y3 Progression     Y4 Progression     Y5 Progression     Y6 Progression      

 

Independent Reading and Choice

Alongside structured reading lessons, we place great importance on independent reading. Once pupils complete Read Write Inc., they begin using Accelerated Reader and Star Reader Assessments. These tools help pupils and teachers select books that are appropriately matched to each child’s reading ability while promoting independence and enjoyment.

We use Accelerated Reader scores as a guide, not a restriction. Children are encouraged to explore books that interest them and to make confident, informed choices from our well-stocked class and school libraries. This balance between guidance and freedom ensures that reading remains both purposeful and pleasurable.

Reading in Every Classroom

Reading is woven through every day at St. Mary's. We timetable regular opportunities for pupils to read, discuss, and listen to stories as part of their daily routine, while ensuring that reading is also embedded across the wider curriculum.

  • Daily Independent Reading – dedicated time for quiet, sustained reading, allowing children to enjoy books of their choice and develop reading stamina.

  • Daily Guided Reading Lessons – structured sessions that develop fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and discussion skills through high-quality texts, carefully matched to pupils’ needs.

  • Daily English Lessons - lessons are built around a high-quality vehicle text, which acts as the anchor for reading, writing and spoken language. These texts are carefully chosen to inspire creativity, enrich spoken language, and strengthen pupils' understanding of literary features and structures.  

  • Daily Class Read – every class enjoys a shared story time where teachers read aloud to pupils. This cherished part of the day models fluent reading, introduces ambitious vocabulary, and nurtures a lifelong love of literature.

Our Reading Spine for class reads has been carefully curated to ensure both progression and variety, featuring classic and contemporary literature, diverse authors, poetry, and non-fiction texts that reflect our community and the wider world. Through this consistent and connected approach, reading truly underpins learning in every classroom.

St. Mary's Reading Spine (books each class read together over the academic year)

Beyond English lessons, pupils apply their reading skills across all subjects. Teachers ensure that every curriculum area provides opportunities for children to read purposefully—whether analysing historical sources, following scientific explanations, interpreting mathematical problems, or exploring non-fiction linked to geography and personal development. This approach strengthens pupils’ comprehension and enables them to make meaningful connections between subjects.

How We Assess Reading

We use a range of assessments to make sure all pupils make strong progress in reading and that any child who needs extra help is identified quickly.

Our assessment approach includes:

  • Ongoing teacher assessment during phonics, guided, and independent reading sessions;

  • Termly reading comprehension assessments, where we use question-level analysis to spot strengths and areas for improvement in key reading skills;

  • Accelerated Reader and Star Reader data to monitor reading comprehension and track progress over time;

  • Reading journals, book talk, and pupil voice to understand how pupils think about and enjoy what they read;

  • Half-termly review meetings to track progress and plan any additional support pupils may need.

This balanced approach helps teachers to plan effectively, ensuring that every child becomes a confident and enthusiastic reader who meets or exceeds age-related expectations.

Revisiting and Securing Knowledge

Reading knowledge and skills are revisited continually across the curriculum. Teachers deliberately plan opportunities for children to reapply reading strategies in different contexts—through re-reading key extracts, exploring recurring authors and genres, and revisiting vocabulary in new units of work.

Regular retrieval practice and discussion help pupils retain and apply what they have learned, ensuring that knowledge is securely embedded and transferable across subjects.

Our Reading Culture

A love of reading is celebrated in every corner of our school. We are proud of our vibrant reading environments, including well-stocked class libraries and our excellent central school library which is the hub of our school, which we have developed in partnership with the National Literacy Trust. Together, we have ensured that our collections are current, diverse, and inspiring, reflecting the interests and identities of our pupils.

From Reception to Year 6, pupils are surrounded by positive reading role models. Our School Librarians (from Year 2 to Year 6) play an active role in running the library, planning events, sharing recommendations, and leading book talk in assemblies and their classes.

Reading is celebrated throughout the year through:

  • Weekly assemblies recognising effort and achievement in reading;

  • Termly Reading Breakfasts inviting families to share books together;

  • Author visits and workshops that bring stories to life;

  • World Book Day celebrations, where the whole school community takes part in themed activities, shared reading, and creative book-inspired projects that promote reading for pleasure;

  • World Poetry Day events, celebrating the beauty and rhythm of language through performance and recitation.

  • The Children’s Book Project – Discover Programme, through which every child receives two carefully curated books each term to keep and enjoy at home.

These experiences create a strong sense of community, inspiring children to see themselves as readers for life.

Our Vision for Reading

At St.Mary's, we aim for every child to:

  • Read fluently, confidently, and with understanding;

  • Develop a broad vocabulary and appreciation of language;

  • Experience the joy and power of reading widely and often;

  • Apply reading skills across all areas of learning;

  • Leave our school equipped to thrive as lifelong, enthusiastic readers.

Reading is not just a subject in our curriculum—it is the foundation of everything we do.