Reading is the heartbeat of our Curriculum

St Mary’s RC Primary School is determined that every child will learn to read, regardless of background, needs or abilities. We want our children to be fluent, confident readers. They will be exposed to a wealth of stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction to develop their vocabulary, language comprehension and develop a genuine love of reading and a keen interest in a range of texts. We work to inspire them to become life-long readers who enjoy books and have a desire to read for pleasure.

In order for the children to have the will to read, and be able to read to learn, they need to have secure skills in reading so that they can read with fluency and comprehension. Reading is at the heart of our whole curriculum underpinning every subject area. We want every child to read widely, and to gain a rich knowledge across the curriculum. By offering a wide range of texts we aim to broaden their minds and experiences to allow them to empathise with the world in which they live and support the development of their cultural capital. Reading is such an important life skill that it is imperative we enable them to become independent readers who can easily process information, fully engage in all learning and be well prepared for their next stage of their education.

We teach early reading through the systematic, synthetic phonics programme Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. Right from the start of Reception children have a daily phonics lesson which follows the progression for Little Wandle Letters and Sounds and this continues in Year One to ensure children become fluent readers.

By the end of KS1, children will be fluent at decoding, and by the age of 11, we aim for children to be able to:

  • Read with confidence, fluency and good understanding, drawing upon a range of independent strategies to self-monitor and correct.
  • Have an interest in a wide range of reading materials and read spontaneously for enjoyment and pleasure.
  • Read confidently to acquire information.
  • Acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading.
  • Meet age related expectations for reading, with the aspiration to exceed them.