Happy, kind and brave.
Together we learn, together we grow, together we soar.
English Reading Curriculum Vision
‘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 language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.’ (NC, 2014)
Purpose and Intent
‘What we teach children to love and desire will always outweigh what we make them learn.’ (Jim Trelease)
At Radipole, our aim is to develop and nurture passionate, enthusiastic readers. We know that children who love reading are more likely to achieve highly, both at school and within their future lives. We understand that confident readers become independent, motivated, curious, excited learners, and we recognise that in developing an early appreciation of language, we enable children to expand their vocabulary and harness excellent communication skills. Instilling a love of reading helps children to make sense of the world around them, to learn about people and to develop empathy. We know that reading sparks imagination, initiates conversations, and develops resilience and self-esteem. We cultivate these lifelong skills and qualities in children at Radipole through poetry, a variety of fictional genres, non-fiction, comprehension questions and research.
‘I read for pleasure and that is the moment I learn the most.’ (Margaret Atwood)
Implementation and Realisation
At Radipole, we aim for outstanding practice by developing wide vocabulary, discrete word-reading skills and comprehension. We read aloud to children, talk about books with excitement and enthusiasm, and we recommend books, sharing our experiences of stories and authors that we love. We promote a love of books and reading throughout the school and the wider school community. Partnerships with parents and carers is fundamental to nurturing the development of life long readers.
At Radipole, we:
‘We have an obligation to read aloud to our children. To read them things they enjoy. To read to them stories we are already tired of. To do the voices, to make it interesting, and not to stop reading to them just because they learn to read to themselves. Use reading-aloud time as bonding time, as time when no phones are being checked, when the distractions of the world are put aside.’ (Neil Gaiman, The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Non-fiction)
Impact and Evaluation
The impact of our reading curriculum at Radipole is the development in children of a desire to read a diverse range of texts for enjoyment. At Radipole, we understand that access to a wide range of texts is an essential part of every child’s educational entitlement, whatever their background or attainment. This is because we appreciate that access to broad reading opportunities makes a huge contribution to educational achievement across the curriculum and a profound difference to their future prospects. Children are supported throughout the school to allow them to access literature of their choice, and additional help is provided where necessary.
‘Every child deserves the chance to become a reader. For many children, including those growing up in a household where reading is not valued, school will be the key place where they come into contact with books. Children who are not introduced to books are missing out on a lifetime of enjoyment.’ (Building an Outstanding Reading School, Oxford School Improvement)