Reading

    The whole world opened up to me when I learned to read

                                  -Mary McCleod Bethune

Our aim is to inspire a lifelong love of reading in our pupils, nurturing their enthusiasm for children's literature and highlighting the intrinsic value of reading as a vital life skill. We believe that fostering a passion for reading is essential for our pupils to flourish into reflective and enthusiastic readers. To achieve this, we introduce children to a diverse selection of high-quality books that represent a variety of cultures, styles, and formats, allowing them to explore the richness of literature, immersing children in the narratives and themes of the stories.

We are committed to broadening our children’s understanding of different text types, including non-fiction, fiction and poetry, providing a Reading Diet of high quality, vocabulary-rich reading material, which immerses and enhances all pupils wider knowledge of the spoken and written word. By exposing them to a range of genres, we aim to develop their confidence, fluency, and independence in reading for various purposes. Encouraging children to reflect on their reading experience, we guide them to consider the language and punctuation choices made by authors, enriching their comprehension and appreciation of texts.

If you would like to find out more information about how our school approaches the teaching of reading and the impact we intent for it to have, then please read our Intent, Implementation and Impact document below. 

Intent, Implementation and Impact

For all pupils to flourish, succeed and achieve their potential as fluent, skilled and attentive readers, we recognise that work must begin at the earliest stages. A vital element of this is the early and successful teaching of phonics, complemented throughout the school years by teaching that promotes fluency and comprehension. Our approach is firmly rooted in ensuring sound phonic awareness through a phonics-first methodology, which lays the foundation for effective reading skills.

At Bowmansgreen, we use FFT Success for All Phonics, a complete systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme that nurtures a love of reading and writing. It meets all the requirements of the National Curriculum and the EYFS framework and has been validated by the Department for Education. Engaging lessons support effective progression through a clear structure based on the six phases of Letters and Sounds, including reading, writing and spelling.  

As well as daily phonics lessons, children in Reception and Year 1 have daily guided reading sessions. These sessions are an opportunity for our children to develop their decoding, fluency and understanding skills using phonetically matched books. Children work in small groups with adults to ensure they are supported to develop these essential skills.  For more information about our approach to Early Reading, please visit our Phonics page.

Our approach to teaching reading draws inspiration from ‘The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading´ by Christopher Such, with a focus on developing fluency and comprehension. The purpose is to: build reading fluency with age-related texts; expose pupils to a wider range of vocabulary in order to understand more texts; teach pupils how to build situation models as they read; teach pupils how to make sense of the written word; enable pupils to fully comprehend what they read; equip pupils in answering written comprehension questions.

Our Guided Reading curriculum has been carefully designed, using extracts and texts that immerse the children in their next writing genre, build on their previous wider curriculum learning or go beyond the taught curriculum providing opportunities to develop cultural capital. It has been structured in a way that allows our pupils to make connections between their learning across the curriculum, providing meaningful and purposeful learning opportunities. Books have been selected with guidance from the HFL Primary English Team, as well as the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, The Book Trust, The School Reading List and Books For Topics. Many have been specifically chosen for their quality, with many recognised as award-winning children’s literature.

Guided Reading Curriculum

Our Reading Spine contains a collection of texts which represent a wide range of diversity in both authors and protagonists and are engaging to encourage a love for reading. The texts have been purposefully chosen to reflect our school community as we recognise the importance of our children being reflected in the literature they read. This is crucial because it allows them to see themselves represented in stories, fostering a sense of belonging, boosting self-esteem, and promoting empathy by exposing them to diverse perspectives and experiences, ultimately helping them understand the world around them and develop a positive self-image; essentially, it acts as a "mirror" for children to see their own identities and experiences validated. Books have been selected with guidance from the Book Trust, whose research on representation in children’s literature has informed our decisions. We have also drawn upon the work of Empathy Lab, a charity who focusses on building children's empathy through a systematic use of high-quality literature.

Reading Spine

Exciting times lie ahead! This year, our school library is undergoing renovation to ensure it becomes the heart of all things reading at Bowmansgreen. To enhance our selection, we are replenishing our collection with funds raised from the recent Scholastic Book Fair and generous contributions from our community. Each year, we aim to invest in new and exciting children's literature to keep our pupils' passion for reading alive. Our library boasts a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books, spanning genres from mystery and historical tales to fantasy and adventure. We are particularly proud to feature stories written by our own pupils as part of their English learning. Children visit the library weekly to browse and select a book under the careful guidance of their teacher and teaching assistant. Additionally, the library remains open during breaks and lunchtime, offering a quiet space for our pupils to relax, read, and socialise with their friends. Our school library is a vibrant hub where knowledge comes to life! Pupils chosen as our Library Leaders will play a vital role in maintaining an inviting atmosphere, ensuring shelves are organised and tidy, while also inspiring their peers to foster a genuine love of reading.

Story Cafés are delightful sessions held each term, where parents and carers are invited to join their children for an engaging reading lesson. Each year group delves into a carefully chosen picture book, complemented by an Art and Design activity that enhances their understanding. These sessions offer parents and carers valuable insight into their child's education, showcasing Bowmansgreen's teaching methods that nurture comprehension and fluency in reading. Additionally, parents and carers receive resources to support reading at home, ensuring they have the tools to effectively assist their children’s literacy journey. We aim to empower families in fostering a love of reading together! Here are the highlights from our most recent Story Cafes.

Each year, we hold our Festival of Reading, a vibrant celebration of the joy of reading. The festival kicks off with a captivating theatre production, showcasing an adaptation of classic literature that brings the magic of the stage into our school. This enchanting experience inspires children to read for pleasure by animating beloved stories. Throughout the week, students engage in an array of exciting reading activities, including book-related crafts, workshops led by talented children's authors, library visits, and engaging Book Swaps and sales to raise funds for replenishing our school library. Every activity aims to cultivate a love of reading and foster a rich reading culture at Bowmansgreen. The festival culminates in a Reading Celebration Assembly, where we applaud the children's dedication and hard work in their reading journeys. Click here to learn more about our upcoming Festival of Reading in March 2025.

This year we welcomed back The Scholastic Book Fair as a regular part of our reading offering at Bowmansgreen. The Scholastic Book Fair is a pop-up celebration of reading that puts the very best books directly into our pupils' hands, all while raising rewards to spend on free books and essential resources for our school. Our most recent fair was a tremendous success; the Bowmansgreen community spent a remarkable £1,810, raising an incredible £1,086 for us to invest in new books.

In a bid to ensure that our library reflects the interests of our students, the Pupil Parliament will be conducting a Pupil Voice initiative. This will allow pupils to voice their preferences and share the types of books they would like to see included in our library. We are excited about the possibilities this presents and thank everyone for their generous support in nurturing a love of reading at Bowmansgreen!