Reading Curriculum 

Vision

At St. Luke's, we aim to provide every child with the skills and confidence to become a fluent, engaged, and lifelong reader. We believe proficiency in reading, writing, and spoken language is essential for pupils’ success in all areas of life. Reading is at the heart of our curriculum, and we are committed to ensuring that all our children develop a love of the written word.

St. Luke’s identifies two important phases in reading development: learning to read and reading to learn. During the early stages of learning to read, we systematically teach a wide range of strategies that will enable our pupils to read fluently and with good understanding. As children progress, we support them in transitioning to the phase of reading to learn, where they can use their reading skills to access information, explore new concepts, and engage deeply with the full breadth of the curriculum.

We aim to nurture confident readers who can access information that will support their development across all curriculum areas, and who develop an enjoyment of reading that will enrich their lives. At St. Luke’s, reading for pleasure is a priority. We encourage our children to discover the joy of reading, knowing that it will not only support their academic growth but also instil a lifelong passion for books and stories.

Our goal is for all children to leave St. Luke’s as lifelong readers, with a deep love for reading that will stay with them long into their future. All children are supported to reach their God-given potential and this is something we are proud of.

 St Luke's Progression in Reading 

Phonics at St Luke's

Children at St Luke’s are introduced to phonics through the St Luke's Letters and Sounds scheme in Nursery. The scheme is followed throughout Reception, Key Stage 1 and into Key Stage 2, where necessary.

All children in Reception and Year 1 participate in a 30-minute whole class daily session of focused phonics teaching and activities. Regular assessment, using Phonics Tracker, ensures children who are struggling to acquire sounds are allocated to appropriate support groups to close any gaps.

St Luke’s consistently scores above average in phonics in Year 1 - in 2023/24 95% of children achieved a pass in the Phonics Screen. Very few children do not secure a pass. Those who do not pass are usually successful in Year 2 and the limited number of children who do not secure a pass in Year 2 continue with the St Luke's Letters and Sounds scheme in Year 3 and beyond.

• Daily sessions follow a routine that staff and children are familiar with. All activities, while multi-sensory where needed, are designed to avoid cognitive overload and avoid excessive time required for explanation.
• Speed recall of previously learned GPCs and ‘heart words’ (PPT for each set/phase).
• Introduction of new sound.
• Examples of new sound in real and alien words – children practise segmenting and blending.
• Example of sentence with previously learned GPCs and ‘heart words’ – children practise segmenting and blending.
• Activity (Friday’s activity focuses the dictation of words and/or sentences that consolidate previously learned GPCs and ‘heart words’.

Where children are unable to decode a whole word using their phonics skills the words are taught as 'heart' words. Children use their knowledge of phonics to read the decodable aspects of the words and are taught to learn the non-decodable aspects by 'heart'.

Teacher Recommendations

All staff are committed to promoting a love of reading and introducing a variety of authors on a daily basis. Each classroom also features a Book Recommendation Chalkboard. This board suggests book titles and authors for children to explore at home, and it has been a huge success. Many of our pupils return to share their thoughts about the books they've read, sparking lively conversations and further fuelling their ongoing love for reading.

Book Corners 

Each class at St. Luke’s has its own themed reading corner where children are able to relax and enjoy their favourite books. Children are encouraged to use this area throughout the day to promote a love and pleasure of reading in school.

 

 Reading Champions

Each week, class teachers select a Reading Champion who has impressed with their reading progress and enthusiasm. The chosen champion receives a gold coin for our book vending machine, allowing them to choose a book of their choice to take home and keep. This is a hugely exciting incentive for our children, and the children look forward to it as a special recognition of their hard work and love for reading.

 Book Club 

 Our Lunchtime Book Club offers an extra opportunity for children to get comfortable and enjoy reading in a relaxed setting. They can sink into our huge reading bean bags, share books with their friends, and indulge in the joy of reading together during lunchtime—creating a fun and social way to engage with stories.

Reading Spine             

We have developed our Read Aloud Spine : a core set of books that are read aloud by teachers on a daily basis, modelling fluency and expression. These books are selected from a wide range and include stories from a variety of cultures, as well as well-known classics and some more modern favourites. Information about each author is displayed on every classroom door so that children are able to see what each author looks like and to find out other titles that they have written. Children of all ages love being read to, so we encourage children and parents to check if the local library has any of these on their shelves!

Data

At St. Luke's, we are proud that our children consistently perform above the national average in Reading. In the most recent Phonics Screening, 95% of our children passed, demonstrating their strong foundational reading skills. Furthermore, in 2023/24, 81% of our children achieved the expected standard in Key Stage 2 SATs. This is something we are proud of and reflects the high standards of teaching and learning in Reading.