Reading and Phonics

“When we pray we speak to God; but when we read, God speaks to us.” - St. Jerome, Patron Saint of Reading

At Saint Augustine's, we recognise the huge impact that reading can have on the lives of our children. Daily reading, in the classroom and at home, is actively encouraged and children are supported with their learning in a multitude of ways.
Starting with the 'Little Wandle Letters and Sounds' programme, children are taught skills of decoding and blending sounds together to form words. (See our Phonics page for more information) 

Throughout the school, children are exposed to a great number of texts, as well as working through the Big Cats reading stages. An extensive selection of fiction and non-fiction books are available to read and borrow in our school library and we make regular trips to the local library where children are free to explore and borrow other books. 

Focus and structure of the sessions

Children read the same book aloud in each of the three sessions with growing automaticity and accuracy. The pre-read and independent reading parts of the sessions are essential in providing the repeated practice needed for children to build fluency.

Each session in this ‘three read’ model has a clear focus:

• Read 1: decoding

• Read 2: prosody – reading with meaning, stress and intonation

• Read 3: comprehension – understanding the text. Each of these sessions follows the same structure:

• Pre-read: Revisit and review

• Reading practice: Practise and apply

• Review: Pacy review of any misconceptions

Reading VIPERS

At our school, we are committed to helping every child become a confident and thoughtful reader.

That’s why we use Reading VIPERS - a set of strategies that focus on key reading skills:

Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval, and Sequencing/Summarising.

Each week, our pupils explore a variety of texts and practise these skills through engaging questions and discussions.

This approach not only builds comprehension but also encourages children to enjoy reading and talk about books with greater understanding. Reading VIPERS helps us support every child’s progress and love of reading.

Reading Spine

We have considered the Pie Corbett reading spine texts, to support and inspire our English curriculum. These carefully chosen, good quality texts, can help children develop a deep understanding of language, structure, and storytelling.

Our aim is that children will be exposed to some of the texts included on this reading spine, either through the reading and writing curriculum plans, shared within class libraries and whole class readers. 

Other Reading Genres 

Has your child been reading something they enjoyed but you're not quite sure where to guide them next?
Take a look at these reading recommendation posters to help you choose the next book!

Reading at Home

Supporting children to read at home is a great way to build confidence and develop a love of books.

Each day, aim for at least 15 minutes of reading; twice a day is better! Once after school and again before bedtime could include reading aloud together, listening to audiobooks, or letting children explore books independently.

Celebrate your child's progress, ask questions about the story, and make reading a fun and relaxed part of the daily routine.

Have a look at the information sheets below for ways to support reading and questioning at home.