By the time children leave St. Mary’s, they leave as readers. Readers who have developed a lifelong love of reading; and readers who are able to unlock the curriculum and the wider world through rich reading experiences. We believe that, to become confident and independent readers, pupils need to be exposed to a vast amount of high-quality vocabulary and to be able to read fluently. This helps them to think metacognitively about rich, brilliant literature and ultimately leads them to becoming readers for life. Our long-term plan, derived from the CUSP reading curriculum, ensures that each cohort is exposed to a suite of core texts that will form the depth study for the academic year. At St. Mary’s, we believe that reading comprehension skills cannot be isolated from one another. Children are taught to draw on multiple reading strategies, as well as their understanding and knowledge of the world, to approach a task. The texts that teachers read to the children for pleasure are also carefully mapped so that we can ensure that, “it is a powerful driver for improving pupils’ reading and all-round education, as well as having a positive impact on their social and emotional wellbeing.”