Reading

Reading at St Peter Chanel Primary School - Sidcup

At St Peter Chanel, we believe that reading is the foundation of learning and opens the door to lifelong opportunities. We aim to develop confident, fluent readers who enjoy books, language and stories from the very start of their school journey.

We encourage all children to read widely and often, helping them to build vocabulary, imagination, knowledge and independence.

Depending on the age group, children work through one or more texts a term, using the book initially to develop reading comprehension, then moving into exploring different vocabulary, punctuation, grammar and spelling objectives, and finally linking it altogether through exploring different opportunities for writing to allow children to apply their learning.

Our Approach to Reading

Early Reading

Children begin their reading journey through high-quality phonics teaching and carefully matched decodable books that support confidence and success.

Visit our Phonics page

At St Peter Chanel, we use learning passports to ensure that all children leave each year group having achieved at least all the key learning objectives required for them to successfully transition into the next year group. If parents want to support children at home, these documents are a good place to start.

Reading

We use a systematic synthetic phonics programme in Early Years and Key Stage 1, progressing to guided reading and whole-class texts. Children develop a love of reading through access to high-quality literature.

Whole Class Reading

As children progress through the school, they take part in whole-class reading sessions where they:

• explore high-quality texts

• develop fluency and comprehension

• discuss vocabulary and themes

• answer questions using evidence from the text

• build inference and prediction skills

Reading for Pleasure

We want every child to see themselves as a reader.

Across the school, children enjoy:

• daily story time

• class reading areas

• author studies

• poetry and performance

• library visits

• reading challenges and events

• World Book Day celebrations

Reading at Home

Reading regularly at home has a significant impact on children’s progress and confidence.

We encourage:

• EYFS & KS1 children to read daily

• KS2 children to read independently and discuss books regularly

Parents can support reading by:

• listening to children read aloud

• asking questions about the story

• discussing vocabulary

• enjoying books together