Our goal is that, by the time they leave St Mary's Fields, every child can read and every child chooses to read. Reading is not just an essential life skill; it has been proven to improve children's vocabulary, their mental wellbeing, and their ability to empathise. 

We do lots of things at St Mary's to help your children to become life-long readers, but there are also lots of things that you can do at home. 

Reading in school

Children at St Mary's Fields learn to read through a mixture of phonics, guided reading and shared reading. We move from following KTC (Knowledge Transfer Centre) in EYFS and KS1, to using the Leicester City Reading Project in KS2. We also read to our classes every day, giving them the chance to enjoy a vast range of books, stories and authors through their time at the school. 

Reading at home

All reading is brilliant! In order for our children to choose to read, we need them to be reading lots of different texts so that they can learn which authors and genres they enjoy the most. Your child should always have at least one school book in their book bag, ready to read at home. They also have the opportunity to visit the school library each week and choose a book to take home. We encourage St Mary's children to read any books they have access to at home.