At St Mary's Primary School, we believe that reading is the key that unlocks learning across the curriculum and opens the door to a lifetime of opportunity. Through our school values of Confidently Me, Belonging Together and Challenged to Contribute, we strive to develop children who read with confidence, curiosity and enjoyment, enabling them to engage fully with the world around them and make meaningful contributions to their communities.

We are committed to ensuring that every child embarks upon a rich and rewarding reading journey, developing from an early reader into a fluent, thoughtful and enthusiastic reader by the end of Year 6. Reading sits at the heart of our curriculum because we know that strong reading skills underpin success in every subject and help children grow as learners, communicators and citizens.

At St Mary's, we use a whole-class reading approach that allows all children to access high-quality texts, rich language and challenging ideas. Through carefully planned lessons, pupils engage with a diverse range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, developing the skills needed to understand, analyse and enjoy what they read. High-quality discussion is central to our reading curriculum, encouraging children to share ideas, justify opinions and learn from one another in a supportive environment where everyone feels that they belong.

Our reading curriculum follows a carefully sequenced progression of knowledge and skills, enabling children to build confidence and deepen their understanding as they move through the school. We explicitly teach the key reading strategies that help children become successful readers:

Prediction

Children learn to use clues from the text and their prior knowledge to anticipate what may happen next and to justify their thinking.

Retrieval

Pupils develop the ability to locate, identify and select important information from texts accurately and efficiently.

Inference

Children are taught to read between the lines, using evidence from the text to explain characters' feelings, motives and actions, as well as deeper themes and meanings.

Vocabulary

Rich and ambitious vocabulary is explicitly taught and discussed. Children explore the meaning of words in context and learn how authors carefully select language to create effects and engage readers.

Through these strategies, children become active readers who can think critically, ask questions and engage deeply with texts. Reading lessons also provide valuable opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills, helping pupils articulate their ideas with increasing confidence and clarity.

Reading for Pleasure

At St Mary's, we believe that reading should be both purposeful and joyful. We work hard to nurture a genuine love of reading and to create a culture where books are celebrated and valued throughout the school.

We promote reading for pleasure through:

• Daily reading and story time in classrooms
• Access to a well-stocked and welcoming school library
• Carefully selected class texts that inspire curiosity and discussion
• Opportunities to share and recommend books with others
• Author visits, World Book Day celebrations and reading-focused events
• Reading challenges and initiatives that encourage children to explore new authors and genres
• Strong partnerships with families to support reading at home

These experiences help children develop empathy, imagination and a broader understanding of different cultures, perspectives and experiences.

Reading Through Our School Values

Confidently Me
We support children to become confident readers who can discuss books, share opinions and tackle challenging texts with resilience and independence.

Belonging Together
Reading provides opportunities for children to connect with one another through shared stories, collaborative discussion and a common love of literature. Through books, pupils develop understanding, respect and empathy for others.

Challenged to Contribute
Children are encouraged to think deeply about what they read, ask thoughtful questions and apply their understanding to the wider world. As their reading develops, they become increasingly able to express informed views and contribute positively to discussions and learning across the curriculum.

At St Mary's, our ultimate aim is for every child to leave primary school as a fluent, confident and enthusiastic reader who reads widely for both pleasure and purpose. We want our pupils to develop a rich vocabulary, a deep understanding of texts and a lifelong appreciation of reading that will continue to support and inspire them throughout their lives.