Reading at St Mary's Primary School
Rationale / Vision
Rationale / Vision
Founded in hope St. Mary’s CE (VA) Primary School is a place where all can find their voice, grow in wisdom and live well in community and service.
Reading plays a fundamental role in living out our school vision.
Finding our voice:
During our reading curriculum, children develop their language, expression and confidence through rich opportunities for talk and discussion. High‑quality texts help them explore identity and understand different perspectives. The Reading Framework highlights the importance of talk and stories as essential foundations for communication.
As children read widely, they learn to articulate opinions, rehearse expressive reading, and build confidence in sharing their ideas
Living in Community and service:
Children encounter stories featuring characters from varied cultures, backgrounds and experiences, helping them understand and appreciate diversity. Guidance emphasises offering texts that broaden children’s understanding of the world and support reading for pleasure.
Through these stories, children develop empathy and recognise shared human values. They also learn to relate to others’ experiences, strengthening their sense of community and social responsibility.
Growing in wisdom:
As children progress, they develop the fluency and comprehension skills needed to read with accuracy, confidence and understanding. The Reading Framework stresses the importance of systematic phonics, vocabulary development and fluency as foundations for successful reading.
With these skills in place, children can think deeply about what they read and engage with more complex ideas. This enables them to grow intellectually, reflectively and personally, building wisdom that supports lifelong learning.
Reading Documents
St Mary's Book Club
St Mary’s Book Club club have been reading Dany Chung Does Not Do Maths, by Masie Chan.
“We really liked when Nai Nai brought Danny chicken feet to eat a school” Klaudia and Eiliya
“This book has taught us that we must always been kind and respectful to our elders, even when they don’t understand what they say@” Naley
Lots of our book club have donated their copy to the library, we would really recommend this book.
Reading for pleasure
Reading across the curriculum
Our Reading Areas
At our school, we are passionate about developing a love of reading and ensuring that every child has access to high-quality books. Each classroom has a carefully designed reading area that is tailored to the age, interests and reading stage of the children in that class.
Our reading areas are inviting, engaging and welcoming spaces where children can enjoy books for pleasure, explore new interests and develop their reading skills. The collections include a wide variety of genres, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, traditional tales, graphic texts and information books, ensuring that there is something to inspire every reader.
We carefully select books from a diverse range of authors and illustrators, providing children with opportunities to discover new favourites, encounter different perspectives and broaden their understanding of the world around them. Books are regularly updated and linked to class topics, current interests and seasonal events to keep reading fresh and exciting.
Our Reading Areas
