1. Every child is a reader.
2. Early reading should be systematic, explicit and cumulative.
3. Fluency is a bridge, not an optional extra. It is actively taught.
4. Oracy is foundational.
5. Reading should develop both competence and pleasure.
6. Texts should be high quality, diverse and be relevant to our children and our world.
7. Reading for pleasure is intentionally nurtured.
8. Reading comprehension is actively taught.
9. Motivation and reading identity matter.
10. Reading links to writing, children will be taught to read like a writer.
At Peasedown St John Primary, we recognize that the ability to read—both to gather information and for pure pleasure—is the fundamental key that unlocks lifelong learning. We guide our pupils on a progressive journey to help them discover the magic of books at every stage of their primary education:
Early Years | “Brilliant Bookworms” By the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, our children will be “Brilliant Bookworms” who love talking about the books they read and excitedly noticing connections and similarities between different stories.
Key Stage 1 | Unlocking the Adventure By the end of Year 2, our pupils will have the decoding skills needed to unlock a genuine love for reading, understanding that books open their minds to new worlds of literary adventure.
Key Stage 2 | Lifelong Readers By the time they leave us in Year 6, our pupils will be lifelong readers. They will be deeply enriched by the pleasure of exploring diverse literary worlds, a passion fostered by their unique experiences at our school.
At PSJ, we approach reading by focusing on two key pillars: fluency and comprehension.
These two core areas are broken down into developmental stages tailored to each year group’s needs. In practice, our daily Guided Reading sessions are structured to support both skills:
Fluency First: Every single Guided Reading lesson includes a dedicated fluency element to help children read with speed, accuracy, and expression.
Targeted Comprehension: The second part of the lesson focuses on building comprehension, with the specific skill varying daily depending on the focus of the lesson.
To see how these reading skills develop and progress across each year group, please explore our progression documents:
Fluency Progression 26_27
Reading Foci Progression 26_27
We don’t just teach reading; we live it. To bring our vision to life, our daily routines include:
Daily Guided Reading: Targeted sessions designed to build both reading fluency and deep comprehension skills.
Teacher-Led Story Time: Every day, each class enjoys a story read aloud by their teacher. This dedicated time encourages rich “book talk” centred around key reading concepts, modelling expressive reading and fostering a shared love for storytelling.
A child’s reading journey at PSJ begins the moment they step into our Nursery. We believe in laying a joyful, communication-rich foundation right from the start to spark a lifelong love for books.
In our Nursery, we run daily sessions specifically designed to build communication skills, confidence, and early literacy:
Stories and Songs: Helping children discover the rhythm, pattern, and joy of language.
Talk Time: Encouraging vocabulary growth and confident expression.
Marvellous Me: Supporting personal connection, self-awareness, and sharing.
We introduce phonics in a gentle, age-appropriate progression:
Nursery / Pre-School (Phase 1): Children are introduced to single letter recognition, tuning their ears to shapes and sounds in a fun, playful environment.
Reception (Phase 2): As children transition to Reception, they begin learning the specific sounds that letters make (phonemes), building the core skills they need to start blending and reading simple words.
At PSJ, we use Read Write Inc. (RWI) Phonics, a Department for Education (DfE) validated, systematic synthetic phonics programme. This whole-school approach to teaching early reading and writing is designed to ensure that every single child makes excellent progress.
Our Phonics Journey
Our RWI programme is structured carefully to support children as they grow, building their confidence step-by-step:
Nursery (The First Steps): Children begin their reading journey by being introduced to fun pictures that match initial letter sounds. This lays the vital groundwork for reading before they transition to Reception.
Reception (Building the Foundations): Children are formally re-introduced to all initial letter sounds. They learn to recognise each sound individually before learning how to “blend” them together to read simple words.
Digraphs & Matching Books: Once children are confident with their single letter sounds, they are introduced to “digraphs” (two letters that make one sound, like sh or ch) using memorable, child-friendly phrases.
Alongside learning their sounds, children read vibrant, phonically-decodable coloured books. These books are matched exactly to your child’s current reading ability and what they have been learning in class, allowing them to practice with confidence and success.
At PSJ Primary, we are incredibly proud of our carefully curated Literature Spine—a handpicked selection of high-quality, engaging books that our children read and explore in class as they progress through the school.
To ensure our pupils are exposed to the very best children’s literature, our choices are deeply rooted in educational research and expertise, including:
Doug Lemov’s “5 Plagues of Reading” – introducing children to rich, complex, and beautifully challenging texts.
Pie Corbett’s “Talk for Writing” – embedding classic storytelling structures and rich vocabulary.
Teacher “Must-Reads” – personal recommendations from our teaching staff of books we believe every child should experience.
We believe that a strong partnership between home and school is key to developing confident readers.
Weekly Reading Books: Every child will bring a reading book home each week to share and practice with you.
Daily Preparation: We kindly ask that children bring their reading book and reading record into school every day so we can support them in class.
PSJ Book Bags: To help keep our school books safe and tidy, all children starting in Reception are gifted a free school book bag. If you ever need a replacement, new book bags can be purchased directly from the school office.
Developing confident, independent readers is one of our top priorities at PSJ. Once children have successfully completed the coloured bands of our Read Write Inc. phonics programme, they transition onto the exciting Accelerated Reader programme.
Perfectly Pitched Reading: This system ensures that children are matched to books that precisely fit their reading ability, allowing them to read fluently while being gently challenged.
Reading at Home: Key Stage 2 pupils bring home their matched reading book alongside a “sharing book” (a text to enjoy reading together with family) each evening. We ask that pupils bring their reading books into school every day.
We are incredibly fortunate to have a vibrant, well-resourced, and welcoming library. It is a space where children can relax, change their books, and explore topics that spark their natural curiosity.
Values & School Drivers: We have a wide range of stories specially selected to help children understand, explore, and connect with our core school values.
Something for Everyone: From highly challenging texts curated for our most avid readers, to highly accessible and engaging books designed to build the confidence of developing readers, our library truly caters to every child.
Every classroom at PSJ features its very own inviting book corner, packed with a carefully selected, diverse range of books tailored to the unique interests and needs of that specific class.
Our teachers are skilled at choosing books that inspire, challenge, and motivate their pupils. In these cosy spaces, children are regularly encouraged to write reviews and recommend books to one another—fostering a vibrant, pupil-led community of readers who inspire each other daily.
Once your child finishes reading their Accelerated Reader book, the next exciting step is to complete a short online quiz! This quick, low-stakes check-in helps both teachers and pupils see how well they understood the story before they choose their next book.
While we regularly support children to complete these quizzes during the school day, pupils are also welcome to take them at home as soon as they finish a book.
If your child is ready to take a quiz outside of school, please use the link below: