READING

'Learning God's Way'

At St Mary's reading is at the heart of all we do. In Key Stage 1 the children learn to read using the Read Write Inc phonics programme and in Key Stage 2 we have dedicated Reading for Meaning sessions and use high quality texts in English to develop our love of reading and understanding of texts. Please visit our Phonics area to learn more about Read Write Inc. (link below) and our English Policy sets out how we teach Reading in school. 

Executive Function in Reading

Executive function is critical for reading because it involves mental processes like working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility, which control and coordinate reading skills such as decoding words, integrating information, and monitoring comprehension. Strong executive function allows readers to hold information in their minds, ignore distractions, and switch strategies as needed, leading to better comprehension.

Link to our Phonics Page

Reading schemes we use

KS1 and EYFS

Children are given a home reading book matched to their ability and this is changed three times a week. Communication on progress at home and in school can be recorded in their Reading Record.  *The books that we use match the sounds children have learned at school and although we follow the Oxford Reading Tree book band system (expectations can be seen in the diagram below) we mainly use RWI book bag books in Reception and lower KS1. All children enjoy reading together with an adult throughout the week with our lower attainers being read with at least four times per week to ensure they reach age expected expectations. 

*Oxford reading tree book band level guide

KS2

Individual reading: We use the Oxford reading tree/Rigby books in KS2 with children progressing through the books and changing them under the instruction of the class teacher. They have a class reading book that is taken from this scheme that they use to read to an adult in school but they are free to bring in a free reading book that they can use when reading for pleasure. Please see a copy of the expected levels for KS2 readers below:

Parent support

Please find a link to the Reading Viper Questions below. These are really helpful and will support you when reading with your children.

World Book Day

In the spring term, St Mary's took part in World Book Day. We had great fun dressing up as our favourite book character. Every class in KS2 enjoyed creating a shared story based on their World Book Day characters and KS1 wrote a sentence or story about their characters. We had lots of fun and shared some of these stories in a whole school worship at the end of the day. 

Author Visit - Charlotte Taylor

In the Autumn Term we enjoyed a visit from a local author called Charlotte Taylor. Each class enjoyed a story themed workshop and every child produced a lovely piece of work following this, from story sequencing in Acorn Class to creating a short pictorial story with dialogue in Oak Class. Everyone loved the workshops and Charlotte did a book sale and signing at the end of the day too!

Cwtch with a Book

On 23rd January 2026 we welcomed in parents and carers to cuddle up and enjoy a book together. This was a very popular event and our school hall was packed! It was lovely to see so many parents spending time reading to their children and some of the children reading to them!

Love Reading Day 

We celebrated our love of reading on 13th February 2026. We enjoyed listening to stories with out teacher and every class joined up with another class to share books together. It was a fantastic day!