Daily reading has a huge impact on children’s learning. It enables them to become fluent and expressive readers and to comprehend a range of texts. It also builds children’s imagination, creativity and vocabulary banks. These are the building blocks to help children to become strong, creative writers. There are so many benefits of developing a love of reading and this is why we are very keen to promote a love of reading from the very beginning of a child's journey at St Johns. 

All children in Class 1 will bring home a library book to share with someone at home alongside their reading diary. Reception children will also bring home a reading book matched to their phonic knowledge and will be encouraged to read this at home daily. We would really appreciate it if you could sign your child's reading diary each time you hear them read or share their story with them. Each time you do this, it will be counted towards their total number of reads - I wonder who will be next to get a star badge? 

We have a shared story at the end of each day. This is to end the day calmly, promote reading for pleasure and to enhance children’s imagination. We also have a variety of stories throughout the day, to follow children's interests and to support our current topic. 

Every other week, we introduce a new 'focus story' which is the inspiration for our learning. The activities and provision will all have a link to our new book and provide opportunities for all children to develop a deeper understanding of the story, as they engage with the challenges. Children will still be able to access a variety of different stories from our own class library, situated in the classroom. 

In Class 1, we also send home the reading suitcase weekly. On Friday, a child will be chosen to take home our reading suitcase to share this with their family. Within the suitcase, you will find two books, a teddy, cards to promote discussion and a notebook. We love to hear how you have enjoyed taking the reading suitcase home and encourage parents to leave a comment in the notebook. The children love to share these comments when they return the suitcase, on Wednesday.