At St Michael’s, learning to read is a key part of every child’s education. We also want children to enjoy reading and to choose books for themselves. Our aim is to help every child become a confident and independent reader. We use a range of simple and effective approaches. Paired reading is one of them. Younger children read with older pupils or adults. This builds confidence and fluency in a calm and supportive way. It also shows that reading can be shared and enjoyed together.

Shared reading takes place in class. Teachers read with the whole group and show how good readers think. Children listen, join in and talk about the story. They learn to ask questions, make predictions and understand what they read. Guided reading gives more focused support. Children work in small groups with a teacher. They read texts at the right level and practise key skills. This helps them build vocabulary and learn how to tackle new words and ideas. These steps help children move towards reading on their own. They learn how to choose books, read with confidence and enjoy a wide range of texts.

Our focus on reading is also linked to our anniversary Library Project. We are excited to develop a new library space for our school. This will give children a calm and welcoming place to read, explore books and spend time with stories. By supporting reading in school and investing in our library, we are helping children build skills that will stay with them for life.