Our Vision for Reading at St Thomas

At St Thomas, we believe that reading is the key to unlocking learning and future success. We are committed to developing fluent, confident and enthusiastic readers who enjoy books and read for both pleasure and purpose. Through high-quality teaching, engaging texts and a rich reading culture, we aim to foster a lifelong love of reading in every child. 

Our Aim

At St Thomas, we believe reading opens doors to learning, imagination and opportunity.

Through reading, children develop fluency, understanding and vocabulary while learning to think critically about what they read. We want every child to become a confident and independent reader who enjoys exploring a wide range of texts. 

How Reading is Taught

Reading is taught every day and builds progressively so children develop the skills and confidence needed to become successful readers.

Children experience a range of activities, including:

• Phonics and early reading

• Whole-class reading lessons

• Vocabulary development

• Reading fluency and prosody

• Retrieval and comprehension activities

• Guided and independent reading

• Reading for pleasure

Across school:

EYFS: Children develop a love of stories, language and books through high-quality texts and daily phonics teaching using Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS).

KS1: Children build fluency, accuracy and confidence through phonics, shared reading and structured comprehension activities.

KS2: Children deepen their understanding of texts through our 7-Stage Reading Sequence, which supports vocabulary development, fluency, retrieval, inference and discussion skills through high-quality literature. 

Our consistent approach ensures children become confident readers who can understand, discuss and respond thoughtfully to a wide range of texts.

Inclusive for All

We believe every child can become a successful reader.

• Learning is adapted so all children can access reading lessons.

• Additional support is provided where needed.

• High expectations are maintained for all learners.

• Children are encouraged to develop confidence, independence and enjoyment in reading.

Celebrating Reading

Reading is at the heart of school life at St Thomas.

We enjoy sharing and celebrating reading through:

• Daily story time

• Classroom reading areas

• Reading rewards and challenges

• World Book Day celebrations

• Author and book-based events

• Opportunities for children to recommend and discuss books

Children are encouraged to read widely, develop their own interests and take pride in their reading achievements.

By the time children leave St Thomas, they:

• Read fluently, accurately and with expression

• Understand and discuss a wide range of texts

• Retrieve, infer and explain their thinking using evidence

• Use reading to support learning across the curriculum

• Have a rich and growing vocabulary

• Enjoy reading and recognise its value throughout life

Get Involved

We encourage families to read with their children regularly, talk about books together and help nurture a love of reading at home.