At Clavering Primary school, we believe it is imperative to our children’s lives that they can not only read, but that they become readers. As such, we aim to start their reading journeys with a passion and enthusiasm for stories and books, alongside building their confidence in de-coding and reading for themselves. We hope to ignite a love of reading at this early stage in their lives, that they will carry with them forever
Reading permeates every aspect of our curriculum and we are committed to ensuring that every single child is taught to read.
Through a combination of strong, high quality, discrete, systematic phonics teaching and a language approach that promotes a reading for pleasure culture, our children learn the knowledge and skills to become confident readers, so that they can read, enjoy and share books. We aim to equip our pupils with the requisite knowledge, skills and wider understanding to be successful, independent and motivated learners who enjoy reading for pleasure and are inspired by a love of books for years to come.
Reading underpins children’s ability to access the curriculum and it clearly impacts on their achievement. There is considerable research to show that children who enjoy reading and choose to read benefit not only academically, but also socially and emotionally. At Clavering Primary School, we carefully select texts and poems so that our children experience a rich diet of texts including classics, contemporary texts and curriculum related books.
The books we choose engage and inspire, providing our children with language and literature beyond their current experience. We understand that when children see themselves in stories, it is an empowering experience. Our book choices help pupils to build a sense of connection to the world around them by providing ‘mirrors’ of their own lives and opening ‘windows’ into the lives of others.
Reading for pleasure
Reading for pleasure is at the very core of our curriculum at Clavering and all pupils are encouraged to read widely and frequently. Our belief is that reading for pleasure feeds pupils’ imaginations whilst developing a curiosity and understanding for the diverse and ever-changing world around them. By fostering and nurturing a love of books and reading, we can ensure that our children read widely and often and choose increasingly challenging books developing a deep appreciation for literature.
It is our intention to instil a lifelong passion for, and love of reading, that will enable children to increase the breadth of their vocabulary and knowledge and prepare them for future success.
