Reading for Pleasure
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At St John the Baptist, children begin their reading journey with the Song of Sounds phonics scheme.
To support their early reading development, we provide fully decodable books that align with the phonics they are learning. As their skills grow, children progress to chapter books through the Accelerated Reader programme.
Click the link above to discover how you can support your child's reading at home.
At St John the Baptist, we are passionate about fostering a love of reading among our children.
Our goal is to inspire them to pick up books not just for academic growth, but for the joy and adventure that reading brings. We understand that readers—both new and experienced—sometimes need a little encouragement, support, and direction to discover the right books that spark interest and motivation.
As a parent, your role in this journey is vital. Book recommendations can be a powerful tool in helping your child explore new genres, find stories they connect with, and develop a lifelong love of reading.
Below, you will find helpful guidance and suggestions to support your child’s reading journey at home.
Reading Champions
At St John the Baptist, reading is valued as a vital part of every child's education and personal development.
The Reading Champions initiative has been introduced to complement existing reading programmes—Book Bands in Key Stage 1 and Accelerated Reader in Key Stage 2—while also encouraging pupils to engage in wider, more diverse reading.
As part of the challenge, children are invited to read a carefully selected list of 20 books. These include a mix of classic and contemporary literature, picture books, poetry, and texts designed to broaden pupils’ understanding of different people, cultures, and relationships.
The lists are intended as recommendations rather than requirements, encouraging children to explore books from the selection while also having the freedom to make their own reading choices. Books may be read independently or enjoyed together with an adult.
This is not a race to finish quickly—pupils are given the full academic year to complete their reading. Those who complete all the titles on their year group's Reading Champions list will be awarded a special Reading Champion Badge in recognition of their achievement.
Reading Road Maps
Promoting a genuine love of reading is widely recognised as one of the most effective ways to improve literacy levels and establish a strong reading culture in schools.
Evidence shows that children who take part in the Reading Road Maps tend to explore a wider range of books and engage in more frequent discussions about reading with their peers. The Reading Road Maps provide a structured yet adaptable framework. Please see below to find road maps for KS1, Years 3&4 and Years 5&6.
The coloured dots beside each book denote the level of challenge: red means that the book is more challenging; yellow means that the book is quite challenging and green means that the book is less challenging.
Reading Tube Maps
Reading Tube maps are a visual tool designed to encourage reading for pleasure by connecting books and authors based on genre, style, or other themes, similar to how a real Tube map connects different stations. They help readers explore new books and authors within their preferred genres or discover related genres they might enjoy. The maps below are for children in EY and KS1 (4+), Lower Key Stage 2 (7+) and Upper Key Stage 2 (9+).
Book Recommendations
Branching Out
Is your child hooked on a particular series or author and ready for something new? Explore our recommendations to keep their love of reading growing!
Love Reading 4 kids
Love Reading 4 Kids regularly compiles a wide range of book recommendations, offering something for every young reader. Children can explore different titles and even read a short extract before choosing their next book—helping them find the perfect fit for their interests and reading level.
Reading Ambassadors
Every year, children apply to be a Reading Ambassador. This group of children helps to organise the library, read to our younger children and write reviews for our reading newsletter.
Reading for Pleasure Newsletter
Our Reading Lead puts together a newsletter that features an author spotlight, book recommendations and reviews written by staff and children. Here is our latest publication:
World Book Day 2025
Every year, the whole school come together to celebrate World Book Day. This year, children could choose whether to dress in pj's or as their favourite book character. Activities included: a whole school story, which was read at the end of the day; a book quiz - children had a variety of riddles that they had to match with the correct book cover that were pinned up around the school; an adult read and class based activities including badge making.
