St Pius X is a school that loves books. We place reading at the heart of our curriculum, providing a wealth of fiction and non-fiction material from our two-year-old provision through to Year 6. We believe that teaching a child to read is the greatest gift we can give; it is the primary purpose of our curriculum and the key that opens up the world to our pupils.

Intent: Our Vision for Reading

Our reading curriculum is designed to be ambitious and aspirational, ensuring every child leaves as a competent, confident reader. Our intent is built on three pillars:

• Rich Textual Drivers: Using credible, high-quality texts to promote a love of reading, provide excellent language models and broaden cultural horizons.
• Fluency and Automaticity: Ensuring children become fluent, age-appropriate readers in EYFS and KS1 so they can fully access the breadth of the KS2 curriculum.
• Vocabulary Mastery: Leveraging research that shows 90% of new vocabulary is encountered through reading, ensuring our pupils gain confidence and mastery of the English language.

Implementation: How We Teach

We recognize the importance of the teacher as an inspirational role model. Our staff love reading to children, acting as guides through a rich, diverse literature spine that acts as both a mirror (reflecting the children’s own lives) and a window (engaging them with experiences beyond their own).

A Consistent, Research-Led Approach

Our teaching is a synthesis of evidence-based practice, focusing on:

1. Explicit Vocabulary Instruction: Teaching new words in context to deepen understanding.
2. Reading Fluency: Moving beyond basic decoding to expressive, rhythmic reading.
3. Comprehension Strategies: Utilizing well-structured practice to help children interrogate and understand complex texts.

Home-School Partnership

Reading at home is as vital as reading in school. To support this, we provide:

• KS1: A Big Cat reading book matched to phonic ability, alongside a library book for pleasure.
• KS2: Either a Big Cat Rapid Catch Up book or a school library book, ensuring all home reading material is fully decodable and appropriately matched to the reader’s level.

Securing Foundational Skills

Decoding is the key driver of our Early Years and Key Stage 1 curriculum. We ensure every child has the mechanics of reading secured early so they can transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”

Parents: You can find more information on the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised website.

Impact: Our Outcomes

Through our structured and engaging practice, pupils at St Pius X develop:

• Positive Dispositions: Life-long attitudes toward reading that carry them through adulthood.
• Linguistic Confidence: A vast and growing vocabulary that allows them to master the English language.
• Academic Readiness: The ability to reach expected standards in phonics and comprehension, ensuring they are ready to embrace both the literary and wider world.

Our pupils leave St Pius X not just as children who can read, but as readers who use books to explore, learn, and grow.