Reading

Reading

Reading is vitally important. It is closely linked to academic success and future learning and earning potential. It is also really important to children’s self-esteem, confidence and motivation.   Being able to read is the key to independent learning and living and so it's given a very high priority by all staff at Seahouses primary school.  Learning to read is a joy and a gift but it is also a complex, multi-faceted process. 

The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.

The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding

• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information

• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language

• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas

• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.
• The programmes of study for reading at key stages 1 and 2 consist of two dimensions:

- Word Reading

– Comprehension (both listening and reading).

The national curriculum states that ‘It is essential that, by the end of their primary education, all pupils are able to read fluently, and with confidence, in any subject in their forthcoming secondary education.’

Each year group is provided with a list of stories for whole class shared reading time, tailored to the interests and curriculum of the children and adapted each year to ensure we remain current and up to date with fabulous new authors and illustrators who are recently published and thus most relevant. We read such high quality texts to children as a class, which encourages their listening skills and often allows them to access a book they may not read themselves. In addition to this, we also introduce the children to shorter, non-fiction texts, to enable them to get a vast experience of a range of text types.

All classes have a well-stocked book area. Children are supported by members of staff to select appropriate books to be sent home on a daily basis. Children all have a reading scheme book and a book to read for pleasure in school and at home and we ask you to make sure they record this in their home/school diary.

Reading at home is really important and reading to your child is a good way to share stories and other books. We work together as a team to support parents when reading with their child and run parent teacher sessions to discuss reading support techniques.