Intent

At Sherston Primary School, we believe that reading is the foundation of learning and the key to unlocking a child’s potential. Our intent is to foster a lifelong love of reading by exposing children to a wide range of high-quality texts that ignite their imagination, broaden their horizons, and support their academic development. Through meaningful connections with local bookshops and authors, we aim to cultivate a rich reading culture both within our school and the wider community, inspiring all children to become confident, enthusiastic, and capable readers.

Implementation

Our reading curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils have access to high-quality literature that reflects a diverse range of cultures, genres, and perspectives. Key aspects of our approach include:

• High-Quality Texts: From classic novels and modern fiction to non-fiction and poetry, we carefully select texts that challenge, inspire, and engage pupils at every stage of their reading journey. Each text is chosen to enhance vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking skills, while also fostering a love of storytelling and a deeper understanding of the world.
• Community Links: We have strong partnerships with local bookshops and authors, which enrich our reading curriculum through book events, author visits, and workshops. These collaborations bring the world of literature to life, offering children the chance to meet writers, explore new books, and develop a personal connection with reading.
• Daily Reading: Reading is embedded into the daily life of our school. Pupils are encouraged to read widely and often, with regular opportunities for independent reading, guided reading sessions, and shared reading experiences as a class. Our school library and reading corners are stocked with engaging and diverse books to further promote a love of reading.
• Parental and Community Involvement: We actively involve parents and the wider community in fostering a love of reading through initiatives such as book fairs, reading challenges, and community reading events. These initiatives help to build strong home-school partnerships and create a supportive reading environment beyond the classroom.
• A phonics based approach at the start of the Reading Journey: We use a Systematic Synthetic Phonics programme (SSP) to teach children the building blocks of phonemes and how the segment and blend them to read. Early books are linked closely to the phonemes children will learn throughout their time in Key Stage 1 and a systematic approach is used to learn common exception words as well.  

Impact

The impact of our reading curriculum is evident in the confident, fluent readers we nurture, who demonstrate a deep love and appreciation for books. Pupils’ progress is regularly monitored, with a focus on both their ability to read and understand increasingly complex texts and their enthusiasm for reading. Through our strong community links, children experience the joy of engaging with real authors and discover the broader world of literature. As a result, our pupils leave Sherston Primary as passionate readers, equipped with the skills and love of reading that will serve them throughout their education and into adult life.