Phonics Programme and reading resources
At Christ Church Primary, reading is at the very heart of our curriculum. Learning to read is a priority and we use the Letters and Sounds phonic programme. All children have a daily phonic lesson and opportunities to read. All children learn to read using books matched to their phonic skills.
Providing our pupils with a full range of carefully chosen, recommended, classic and contemporary texts allows reading to become a rich and engaging experience at Christ Church. We have an empowering reading spine which challenges children as they move through the school. Key texts can often lead learning across the curriculum and provide a context for learning.
The school continually invests in new books and CPD to develop best practice across the school, to secure outstanding teaching and learning. We have recently secured funding for the school library to ensure that all children are represented in our selection and diversity is moving beyond tokenism.
Children in both key stages have many opportunities to meet illustrators and authors at book events in various locations, e.g. Theatre Royal, City library and Seven Stories.
Over the last few years children have met Valerie Bloom, Kwame Alexander, poet John Agard and in Novemebr 2025 children in YR1 & 2 met illustrator Catherine Raynor.
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Ofsted Inspection Report November 2021
"Leaders have placed reading at the centre of the school's work. Teachers develop personalised strategies to support pupils reading.
Children in the early years receive an excellent start to reading. Leaders use the phonics programme to meet pupils needs . Adults have expertise in phonics teaching. They know how to adapt approaches to support pupils who speak English as an additional language. Books are matched to the sounds pupils know. Teachers provide effective support for pupils who need extra help. Over time, this has helped pupils to become effective readers . This also helps their progression across the curriculum.
This love of reading continues throughout the school. Teachers carefully select texts that reinforce key themes, such as resilience and equality. These texts also help pupils develop an awareness of different literary styles . Pupils read texts by writers from different cultures and traditions. Already this year, pupils interest in reading has been enlivened by two visiting writers."