Reading for Pleasure

At Severnbanks Primary School we believe that reading should be a fundamental part of childhood and a skill which should be developed to support lifelong learning.

Our aim is to develop and embed a strong, sustainable reading culture within the school community.  Confident and competent readers will foster a love of reading through a rich and varied experience of texts, in which they are empowered to exercise freedoms of choice and independence.

Inspiring children to read is their fundamental right.  It underpins all learning and secures a good trajectory for personal development and an understanding the world in which they live.

We believe that a reading child is a successful child and that:

•        Children deserve a rich curriculum which encourages extensive reading of books and other kinds of texts;
•        Planning enables links across learning, which create a wide range of opportunities in which children can read for pleasure;
•        Children will have the opportunity to experience whole books to support them in their understanding of literary structures and allow them to become absorbed in the story itself;
•        The active encouragement of reading for pleasure should be a core part of every child’s educational entitlement, whatever their background or attainment.  Extensive reading and exposure to a wide range of texts make a huge contribution to students’ educational achievement;
•        Children will be encouraged to read texts which reflect their own heritage and that of other cultural groups.  Children should be allowed to explore and engage with texts in their native language;
•        All children should have access to a wide range of texts in different formats and genres and support in enjoying them where necessary;
•        The school will engage and support parents enabling access to a full range of reading experiences.  Where this is not possible, action will be taken to provide compensatory measures which allow equality of access to all children;
•        Home-school relationships will promote the importance of all adults in fostering a love of reading;
•        School reading should not only be seen as synonymous with attainment and judgement as this could influence children’s perceptions of books and reading;
•        Professional development and support for teachers will be provided to allow them to explore the huge range of printed and electronic reading materials available to enable them to support children in their reading choices.

The school has a commitment to evaluate the outcomes of Reading for Pleasure and continually review practice to ensure all children become lifelong learners.