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St. Felix Catholic School

St. Felix
Catholic School

Reading

Reading

English At St Felix

At St Felix, we believe that a child’s desire to read for pleasure and information will support them to speak and write fluently, so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others. We believe that there is something for every child to enjoy reading. In order for children to enjoy learning across the curriculum it is paramount that children learn to read fluently with a thorough understanding of what they have read. With a focus on ambitious texts being read independently by the children as well as being read aloud to them, they will encounter new language and knowledge. Our curriculum is underpinned by CUSP literacy resources for reading, writing and spelling. 

Within the English curriculum the children:

  • Will read high quality, well-chosen texts from a diverse range of authors, illustrators, genres and forms, as well as exceptional illustrations. This will allow the children to see themselves reflected in what they read and to have the opportunity to investigate other lives, worlds and perspectives.
  • Will be engaged in high quality phonics daily teaching. Phonics is the teaching of letters and the sounds that they represent. Children will learn to read competently and spell accurately as well as facilitating a love of reading
  • Will listen to adults reading aloud regularly each week
  • Will have access to book areas that are exciting and attractive
  • Will have regular opportunities planned into curriculum time each week to talk about books
  • Will use a range of strategies to explore stories in more detail
  • Will develop their drama and performance skills
  • Will be taught spelling, grammar and punctuation explicitly
  • Will learn to write using a cursive script by the time they leave KS2
  • In line with the DfE revised core criteria for defining an effective phonics programme children will “practise by reading texts which are entirely decodable for them, so that they experience success and learn to rely on phonemic strategies”. Our Early Reading texts are integral to our delivery Little Wandle Letters and Sounds and follow the progression therein described. For subsequent year groups, we organise our reading books in line with the Nelson Thornes PM Benchmark reading scheme. 

From September 2022, pupils in EYFS and Year 1 will bring home a reading practice book to share each week which they will have read in school as part of their group reading sessions that week and which is fully accessible. This will be complemented by an additional text which is not decodable and is intended to be shared with an adult to develop reading for pleasure.

Reading Progression Map based on CUSP Resources 

St Felix Literature Spine Nursery - Year 6

CUSP Literature Spine at St Felix

Reading for Pleasure Strategy

Reading for Pleasure Parent Presentation October 2023

Parents Reading Advice

How to support your child’s reading

Further Reading at Home advice can be found here