Reading at St. Peter’s

At St. Peter's Primary Academy, we believe that reading is the gateway to all learning. Through reading, children develop knowledge, build vocabulary, explore new ideas and gain access to worlds beyond their own experiences. We are committed to ensuring that every child becomes a fluent, confident reader who reads widely, thinks deeply and develops a lifelong love of books.

From the earliest stages of learning to read through our Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised phonics programme, to the sophisticated comprehension and analytical skills developed in Key Stage Two, our curriculum has been carefully designed to ensure that every child makes exceptional progress. Reading is prioritised across the school and is embedded within every area of the curriculum.

In Key Stage Two, we use the Grammarsaurus Comprehension Crusher approach as the foundation of our reading curriculum. However, we have carefully adapted the structure to meet the needs of our pupils, placing an increased emphasis on reading fluency, vocabulary development, background knowledge and oral language. Our children repeatedly engage with high-quality texts through a structured sequence of reading experiences, enabling them to develop automaticity, deepen comprehension and build confidence as readers. The approach includes layered reading, fluency practice, vocabulary exploration, summarisation and explicit teaching of reading domains, ensuring that pupils are equipped with the skills needed to understand, analyse and critique increasingly complex texts.

Across the school, pupils are exposed to a rich and diverse range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Through carefully chosen texts, we seek to broaden children's experiences, develop empathy, extend vocabulary and foster genuine enthusiasm for reading. We want every child to leave St. Peter's not only able to read fluently and accurately, but with the confidence, curiosity and passion to continue reading throughout their lives.

Please explore the links to discover more about our reading curriculum, reading progression, fluency approach, reading for pleasure strategy and the skills we develop as readers from Nursery to Year 6.