Reading

Reading

At St Dominic’s, reading sits at the very heart of our curriculum. We believe that learning to read is one of the most important skills a child will ever develop, and we work hard to ensure that every child becomes a confident, fluent reader. From their earliest days with us, children are immersed in rich language, engaging stories and high-quality texts that inspire curiosity and enjoyment. Reading is celebrated in classrooms, shared spaces and assemblies, helping to build strong reading habits and a genuine love of books.

We are passionate about fostering a lifelong love of reading. Teachers read aloud regularly, introduce children to a wide range of authors and genres, and encourage thoughtful discussion about books. Our classrooms are home to inviting class libraries, and children have regular opportunities to visit the school library, where they can explore new titles and follow their own interests. Through these experiences, children learn that reading is not just a skill, but a source of pleasure, imagination and discovery.

To support reading at home, children take two reading books home each week. One book is a carefully phonetically matched or book-banded book, chosen to support the child’s developing reading skills and build confidence. Alongside this, children select a reading for pleasure book, chosen freely from class libraries or the school library. This book is all about enjoyment — igniting passion, sparking imagination and nurturing a deep love of reading that we hope will stay with our children for life.