English - Reading

What does Reading look like at St Paul's?

At St Paul’s, we value reading as a key life skill which underpins every element of the curriculum. We know that proficiency in reading, writing and spoken language is key for pupils’ success in school. Without reading, we cannot develop our children into the next generation of historians, geographers, scientists etc. Therefore, we are dedicated to ensuring that by the time children leave St Paul’s, they are fluent, confident readers and speakers, who can communicate effectively and coherently.

Early Reading

Learning to read fluently and confidently is the single most important thing we teach our children. We want children to learn to read as soon as possible, in order to open the doors to the wider curriculum and begin developing our children's love of reading. To do this, we have a rigorous, systematic approach to teaching phonics and use the scheme First Class Phonics. Please click on the following link to learn more about Phonics and Early Reading in our school: Phonics at St Paul's

Reception and Year One also participate in daily guided reading sessions. They read phonetically decodable books closely matched to their phonics knowledge, developing their fluency skills at a rapid rate.

Reading for Pleasure

Reading for pleasure is crucial in helping children grow both intellectually and emotionally. When children dive into stories, they not only expand their vocabulary and understanding, but also develop critical thinking and empathy. Whilst we strive to ensure reading for pleasure is promoted each and every day in school, it’s essential for parents to support this journey too. A child who reads at home for 20 minutes a day is exposed to 1,800,000 words over a year, compared to 282,000 words for children who read for 5 minutes each day. Children are gifted a book from school in Reception during their special friends assembly to solidify how important we believe reading is.

Throughout the year, we enrich children’s reading journeys through participating in a wide range of reading based activities. Various events take place, such as author visits, sponsored reads and mystery texts. World Book Day promotes discussion of children’s personal favourite texts, and allows children to recommend texts to each other. It is our aim to keep these events fresh and exciting for our pupils.

Guided Reading

Year Two to Six take part in daily guided reading lessons. The first two sessions of the week focus on building children's skills in reading fluently and being able to discuss their responses to a text. Discussions involve answering retrieval questions, exploring new vocabulary and making inferences.

The third session involves children answering 6 comprehension questions and the teacher models the correct answers. The fourth session allows for independent application of comprehension skills and the fifth session is our book club. This is a chance for children to simply read for pleasure, share texts with each other and engage in other book related activities.

Enrichment

As well as activities outlined above, children in Key Stage Two can take part in Tameside Libraries' Reading Champions scheme. The group meet with Mrs Speck regularly to suggest and develop ideas for promoting reading in school. They also take part in zoom meetings with other Tameside schools and end the year with a special trip to Dukinfield Town Hall to celebrate their achievements. Previous groups have made posters for school, led reading assemblies, created an author spotlight and promoted selected genres through inviting displays.

Support for Parents

Parental support in reading is invaluable. By enjoying books together and discussing stories, you can nurture a love of reading in your children. To promote reading for pleasure at home, consider setting aside a regular reading time, creating a comfy reading nook, and offering a variety of books that capture your child's interests. Visiting local libraries and joining book clubs can also make reading fun and social. By fostering a reading-friendly atmosphere at home, you are helping your children appreciate the joy of books and the world of imagination they open up.

Suggestions from the Reading Framework for sharing a story together at home:

For a more in-depth overview of strategies to support the development of your child's reading skills, please visit the Phonics at St Paul's page and/or download the file Phonics Information for Parents.

For more detailed information about the curriculum in each year group, please visit our Curriculum at St. Paul's page.