Reading at St. Mary’s

Intent

At St. Mary’s, we believe that reading is the key to unlocking the curriculum and ensuring that every child has the cultural capital they need to succeed in life. Our reading curriculum is designed to:

• Develop Fluent Readers – Ensuring pupils can decode, comprehend, and read with confidence.
• Promote Reading for Pleasure – Creating a reading-rich environment that fosters a love of books.
• Improve Comprehension Skills – Embedding high-quality teaching of vocabulary and inference to enhance understanding.
• Support Inclusivity and Representation – Providing texts that reflect the diverse experiences, backgrounds, and voices of all pupils.

Implementation

Reading Scheme

We follow the Rising Stars Reading Planet scheme, which seamlessly integrates with Rocket Phonics, ensuring a systematic, synthetic phonics approach for early readers.

Key Features of Our Reading Scheme:

• Phonetically Decodable Texts – Matching pupils’ phonics knowledge to build fluency.
• A Broad and Diverse Book Collection – Ensuring representation of BAME, LGBTQIA, neuro-divergent characters, and world faiths.
• A Balanced Diet of Fiction & Non-Fiction – Developing critical thinking and background knowledge across subjects.
  

Reading for Pleasure & Classroom Libraries

At St. Mary’s, we are committed to creating a culture of reading beyond guided lessons.

📖 Classroom Library Areas

• Every classroom has a well-stocked, inviting reading corner where children can browse, explore, and selectbooks that interest them.
• Our class libraries contain a rich variety of texts, including:
  • High-quality fiction
  • Non-fiction aligned with curriculum topics
  • Poetry and graphic novels
  • Texts that reflect different cultures, identities, and perspectives

🏡 Home & Digital Reading

• Pupils take home Reading Planet books to practice reading with family.
• Each child has access to personalised Reading Planet accounts, where they can:
  ✅ Read online books
  ✅ Answer interactive comprehension questions

Guided & Whole-Class Reading

📖 Guided Reading (Years 1-2)

• Pupils in Years 1 & 2 use Target Practice Readers for guided small-group sessions, allowing targeted intervention and tailored teaching.

📖 Whole-Class Reading (Years 2-6)

In Years 2-6, children take part in whole-class reading sessions, developing fluency and comprehension through:

• Explicit teaching of reading skills using VIPERS
• Teacher-led discussions on high-quality texts
• Shared reading experiences that promote oracy and deeper thinking

Cross-Curricular Reading & Vocabulary Development

📚 Reading is embedded across the curriculum, enhancing background knowledge and developing disciplinary literacy in:

• Geography & History – Through our Opening Worlds scheme, pupils use reading and oracy to explore complex ideas.
• Science & STEM – Pupils engage with technical and informational texts to strengthen comprehension.
• Art & Culture – Texts linked to music, art, and religious education broaden cultural awareness.

Engaging with Authors & Illustrators

To bring reading to life, we:
📚 Invite authors, illustrators, and poets to inspire and engage pupils.
📚 Promote reading beyond the classroom.
📚 Celebrate World Book Day & National Storytelling Week with exciting school-wide activities.

Impact

We measure the effectiveness of our reading curriculum by:

• Regular Reading Assessments – Tracking fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary development.
• Pupil Engagement & Feedback – Ensuring children are developing a lifelong love for reading.
• Parental Involvement – Encouraging parents to support reading at home.
• Cross-Curricular Reading Opportunities – Monitoring how reading skills are applied in other subjects.

Want to Learn More?

🔹 Reading & Phonics at St. Mary’s
🔹 Rising Stars Reading Planet
🔹 VIPERS: Reading Comprehension Skills
🔹 Whole-School Reading Policy

📧 For further details, contact us at admin@st-maryswestderby.liverpool.sch.uk