Reading at St. Peter's C of E Primary School
At St Peter's, we believe that reading is a fundamental skill that opens up a world of imagination, knowledge and opportunity for our children. From the Early Years through to Key Stage 2, we are committed to fostering a love for reading and providing our students with engaging and diverse texts that cater to their individual needs.
In our Early Years and Key Stage 1, we employ the Monster Phonics scheme, which lays a strong foundation for phonics knowledge and decoding skills and children have phonics lessons daily. To further support the teaching of reading, guided reading sessions are conducted three times a week, where children engage with books from the phonics scheme. This structured approach ensures that our younger learners build confidence as they read. Each week, all children take home a Monster Phonics book, an additional decodable book, and a library book to encourage reading practice at home. We also hold regular story times throughout the week, allowing us to share a wide range of stories, fostering both enjoyment and a sense of community.
As children transition into Key Stage 2, our approach adapts to their growing skills and interests. English lessons centre around a class novel, which serves as a springboard for guided reading sessions. During these sessions, we delve into book talk and focus teaching on essential skills such as vocabulary development, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval, and summarisation. Home reading books are carefully selected to closely align with each child’s reading ability, ensuring that they find challenge and joy in their reading experiences. For those students in Key Stage 2 who did not pass the phonics screening in Year 2, we offer targeted phonics intervention to help them catch up and thrive.
Across all classes, we provide a selection of "10 Books" which consists of high-quality literature encompassing a variety of authors and cultures. This collection includes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, ensuring that our students are exposed to a broad spectrum of reading materials that reflect different perspectives and experiences across their time at St Peters.
We understand that reading for pleasure is crucial to developing a lifelong love of literature. In addition to our whole school library, every classroom has its own library space, creating ample opportunities for children to explore books they are genuinely interested in. Throughout the year, we host exciting events such as World Book Day, trips to the local library, author visits, and book fairs; all designed to celebrate reading and inspire our children to embark on their next literary adventure.
At St Peter's, we are passionate about reading, and we strive to make it an enjoyable and enriching experience for every child.