Reading

Why is reading important at Bratton Primary School?

At BPS, we are a reading community. We believe that reading is not only at the heart of learning but also one of life’s greatest pleasures. Reading is a right, not an option and we strive to make all our school community passionate, vociferous, life-long readers. Reading for pleasure is given a high priority at BPS and a daily story time from Foundation Stage to Year Six is embedded in our day, in fact, its our favourite part of the day!

What does reading look like at Bratton Primary School?

We firmly believe that teaching reading at the very start of a pupil’s learning journey should be wrapped up in a world of adventure, excitement and joy that only sharing stories and books together can bring. Throughout school, our curriculum is built around high quality texts. As we move through our Bratton reading journey, we ensure that we meet the very best of children’s literature, both current and classic, entertaining and challenging. We understand the importance of exposing our pupils to the very best books and stories. Our classrooms are places where books are read, talked about and enjoyed. We teach reading through whole class, group reading and individual reading sessions. Reading is a key priority at Bratton Primary School and, as such, opportunities to read are deliberately planned in to all learning and all subjects.

How is our reading curriculum enhanced at Bratton Primary School?

We seek opportunities to read, read, read! We have developed our classroom environments to give our children the opportunity to enjoy reading in comfortable spaces. Reading is promoted through our curriculum which is based on high quality texts as well as celebrations of special occasions such as World Book Day and National Poetry Day. From Year One to Year Six we have a carefully researched list of ‘Recommended Reads’ – books for our pupils to read and enjoy by the end of each year group. We have developed links with our local library and enjoy regular visits by the librarians who share stories, songs and rhymes with our youngest children.

Ultimately, our reading curriculum is designed to:

Raise our aspiration through learning about amazing people in the books we read (and being inspired by the talented people who write them).
Celebrate diversity through reading about a wide range of people, places, cultures and beliefs to broaden our horizons and learn about the world’s rich tapestry.
Improve our vocabulary through immersing ourselves in books, while purposefully studying their words and messages.
Promote our health and well-being through connecting with a book as a way of developing our feeling of wellness.

Useful reading websites:

https://libraries.wiltshire.gov.uk/web/arena