At St Patrick’s we recognise that reading is not just about being able to say the words on a page, but is made up of many ingredients.  It is about developing fluency and comprehension; as well as developing a love and an interest in reading.  That is why we maintain a very clear and progressive reading scheme using the range of texts under the Oxford Reading Tree umbrella.

Children receive home reading books once they have been introduced to Phase 2 of the Letters and Sounds phonics scheme in Reception.  Within Key Stage 1 (and Key Stage 2 where appropriate) we ensure the reading books are closely matched to the phonics stage each individual is learning, providing them opportunity to embed their phonic knowledge at home.  We hold an introduction to phonics meeting at the beginning of each school year which all parents are welcome to attend to support in their own phonic knowledge, as well as giving parents suggestions for activities to help their children at home.  We also ensure that all our LSA’s and volunteer readers receive some initial training before hearing children read.

As children progress through the reading scheme we encourage children to read a variety of texts, both fiction and non-fiction.  When children demonstrate consistent skills within their reading, children are able to start to read their own choice of book from home or the library.  In these circumstances children are also encouraged to read books from our higher level reading scheme to ensure the breadth and variety of reading continues; as well as developing comprehension through the focussed questions within the books.

Alongside our home reading scheme, children take part in regular guided reading sessions.  These are taught through the use of a variety of schemes such as Rapid, Rigby Star, Kings Court and in particular Bug Club. 

Bug Club is a great reading resource which the school is fortunate enough to subscribe to.  It allows teachers to allocate e-books for children to read online and answer targeted comprehension questions.  Children can read many books and receive different points and rewards within their Bug Club home. 
 
St Patrick’s also runs many different events throughout the school year to support and develop a love for reading, some are listed below...

Bedtime Story
Book swap
Book fairs
World book day
Poetry slam
Reading buddy system
Author visits

Pictures of some of these events can be found within the ‘Latest News’ and ‘Gallery’ section of this website.