Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
-
Open afternoon
Fri 23 Jan 2026Our parents dropped into school for our Open afternoon today. They spent some time in class and then found out more about how we teach reading at St. Mark's. As this is the National Year of Reading, we felt that it was important to share the highlights and also some books.
-
Maths
Fri 16 Jan 2026We have been making sure that all of the year groups use concrete manipulatives in maths. Year 6 engaged with the resources and are now dividing and multiplying with confidence.
-
Reading for pleasure
Fri 09 Jan 2026Did you know that the number of children who are reading for pleasure is decreasing each year. This year is the National Year of Reading and we at St. Mark's are keen to encourage our children to read for pleasure more. We already have Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) time in school and now we are adding informal book talk sessions as well. You can support our drive to improve reading for pleasure by using the following questions as prompts when reading:
Key Questions for Informal Book Talk:
You can use these prompts to guide conversations with your child/ children when reading:
- Before Reading
- What made you choose this book?
- Have you read anything by this author before?
- What do you think this book might be about from the cover or title?
- During Reading
- What’s happening in the story so far?
- How do you think the character is feeling right now?
- Can you predict what might happen next?
- After Reading
- What was your favourite part of the book? Why?
- Did anything surprise you in the story?
- Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
- Does this book remind you of anything else you’ve read or experienced?
- Deeper Thinking
- What message do you think the author is trying to share?
- If you could change one thing about the story, what would it be?
- Which character would you like to meet and why?
- Before Reading
