“Books and doors are the same thing. You open them, and you go through into another world.”

Jeanette Winterson

At St James, everyone reads, every day. We place reading at the heart of what we do for many reasons: to share great stories; to learn about people who are different to us; and, above all, to improve our literacy. We know that reading is the key to success at school. Research shows the link between daily reading and improved outcomes in all school subjects.

Because of this, tutors dedicate their time spent with their tutor group to reading. For 20 minutes, three times a week, students read with their tutors. The tutor group reads the same book together to experience the joys of sharing a powerful story. Tutor and students read aloud, to develop reading fluency and comprehension.

Regular reading in tutor groups means that students will read up to four books a year. We have a carefully curated selection of books that are age-appropriate, challenging and diverse. We call these books the ‘St James Canon’, because we regard these texts as having significant value in both their message and literary merit. Above all, the St James Canon prioritises the habit of reading for pleasure – one which we hope will last our students a lifetime.