A School of Reading

We place reading and books at the centre of the curriculum as children who enjoy reading achieve highly across the curriculum.  Developing a love for reading is one of the most effective ways we can create a love for learning and raise attainment. 

We aim for all children to enjoy reading for pleasure. Promoting a love for reading sets children up as readers for life, with all the accompanying benefits that follow. Being able to read well is a key life skill for children, whatever their background and every child deserves the chance to become a reader and have a lifetime of enjoyment. 

We believe that reading is a passport to the world. The benefits of reading go beyond the opportunities offered by being well-read with a good command of english. Reading opens children up to ideas, experiences, places and times they might never otherwise experience in real life. Reading for pleasure helps us to enhance opportunities to learn about a multitude of things that may not be covered by a school curriculum.

We believe that the reading environment of our school should appeal to children of all ages and abilities, and to both boys and girls. Our library and book areas are welcoming, working spaces, where children visit, read, choose, enjoy and talk about books.

How to Read with Your Child

Reading aloud is an enjoyable activity that both parents and children alike can enjoy. Additionally, it is an activity that teachers find fulfilling and that they should encourage regularly, both at school and at home.

How Parents Can Read with Their Child

If you read with your child at home, then you are supplementing what they learn in the classroom as well as giving them additional one-on-one support that the classroom cannot give. To have successful and effective reading sessions, consider the following:

Make it part of your routine. Try your best to read to your child every day and keep it consistent. Incorporate this into your, and your child’s, daily routine until it becomes as much of a habit as them brushing their teeth. However, try not to be discouraged if you miss a day – just pick your routine back up as normal when you have time.

Encourage variation. Try to vary the books that you read to your child as much as possible. This will open their eyes to a range of different worlds, cultures, and characters, and allow their imagination to be stretched and thrive.

Have patience. Sometimes we can forget what it’s like to be that age and what we were like. As an adult we take reading for granted, but it’s easier to be patient with a child when we remember how much they don’t know yet. For example, how is a child going to know to read from left to right until you point at the words as you go? How are they to know that each scrawl on the page represents a word? Take your time and be patient if they don’t understand.

Continue the discussion. After you’ve finished reading a story to your child, consider trying to keep it going. Age depending, you could ask them questions about what they’ve just read. For example, “Did you enjoy that story?”, “Who was your favourite character?” or “Why do you think the prince was happy at the end?”. However, don’t feel that this is necessary for every single story you read. If your child enjoys the book, it will develop a love of reading anyway, even without the conversation.

The Top Ten Benefits of Reading for Children

Based on what we’ve discussed above, here are the top 10 benefits of reading for children:

1. Their vocabulary is larger and more extensive.
2. They perform better academically.
3. Their imagination can run wild.
4. Their creativity skills develop.
5. They develop empathy.
6. They gain a deeper understanding of their world.
7. Their concentration levels improve.
8. The parent and child bond improves.
9. Their cognitive development is supported.
10. Their social skills and interaction improve.