Reading
Cultivating a Lifelong Love of Learning
Every child reads, and is read to, every day. This is because we recognise that reading is the gateway to learning, and therefore it is very important that your child reads at home as well as in school. Reading is the skill prioritised above all others and all children are expected to develop reading fluency with good understanding of what they have read. Ensuring high levels of motivation for reading encourages children to develop the habit for both pleasure and for information. Records of children reading should be entered into the reading records and signed by an adult.
Intent: At Beam County Primary School, we believe that the teaching of reading is integral to a child’s understanding and appreciation of the world around them; a platform that allows our children to see beyond what they know, share in cultural experiences and develop the vocabulary they need to effectively express themselves. Our reading curriculum strives to foster a lifelong love of reading. We cultivate the behaviours that they will need to be discerning readers as they read frequently and widely using a range of evidence-based strategies and discuss what they read. This curriculum is delivered through synthetic phonics, a linked approach to shared and guided reading, home reading, reading across the curriculum, regular opportunities for independent reading and hearing quality texts read aloud. All of these are essential components as they offer the range of opportunities needed to develop fluent, enthusiastic and critical readers.
It is important that children are motivated to read at home regularly; when their reading opportunities increase, so does their fluency and stamina which in turn increases their enjoyment of reading. Therefore, the link between children’s motivation to read and reading for pleasure is reciprocal. Furthermore, we know that reading pleasure is beneficial not only for reading outcomes, but for wider learning enjoyment and mental wellbeing. Thus, we work hard to foster a love of independent reading and build communities of engaged readers. We understand the significance of parents and carers in supporting their children to develop both word reading and comprehension skills so we endeavour to build a home-school partnership through our workshops and parental meetings which enables parents and carers to have the confidence to support their children with reading at home.
Our school and class libraries allow children to immerse themselves in the wonderful world of books. They are stocked with an attractive range of fiction and non-fiction and encompass the latest reading trends and classic texts that should be part of every child’s primary school experience-building the children’s cultural capital.
Reading Ambassadors are selected once a half -term. These are children who have a passion and excellent attitude to reading, they get the opportunity to select a book from our book vending machine. Help your child to get a book by hearing them regularly read at home!
Books are chosen carefully to represent pupil’s lives but also to allow them to experience new topics and themes. If you would like to enhance your child’s reading experience, please see the following reading list.
Little Wandle Phonics and Reading Presentation to Reception Parents and Guardians
Please find below Mrs Harle's informative Little Wandle phonics and reading presentation to parents and guardians (November. 2023).