Kindness, Unity & Courage 

‘Alongside this, a culture of reading is rapidly being embedded across the school. Some of the pupils I heard reading, which included the most- and least able readers, explained to me the tools they would use to find out about new words and phrases they came across, such as ‘scattered his wits’ or ‘recoil’.’

Ofsted 2017

At Trinity St Mary’s the active encouragement of reading for pleasure is a core part of every child’s educational entitlement whatever their background or attainment.  We believe that it is vital that children have the time to read a variety of books so that they can enjoy reading.

We ensure that we include a range of books within the curriculum as well as the opportunity for sustained reading from a range of other self-chosen fiction and non-fiction texts from our school library and classroom reading areas.  We use our classroom reading areas to promote our favourite texts as well as to encourage children to continue reading texts to support our curriculum.

Reading for Pleasure strategies for school and home

Reading Aloud

Reading aloud is one of the most important things that our teachers do and is a regular part of every school day.  Hearing books aloud enables children to enjoy stories they might not otherwise hear.  Even if your child is an independent reader, keep reading aloud to them to encourage their interest and understanding and build on vocabulary they might not have heard before.

Reading Environment

The reading areas in our school library each classroom are designed to be engaging, comfortable and relaxed. The children are able to sit on comfy cushions and beanbags - really allowing their mind to get into a book! Moreover, our classroom libraries are filled with books from different genres and interests to appeal to everyone.  At home, try to set aside an area that is quiet, calming and cosy to encourage your child to read more for pleasure. 

Discuss books

At TSM, we encourage children to talk about the books and authors they like to read.  Though this, children learn to make connections and share their thoughts confidently - developing speaking and listening skills too!  At home, you can talk about books with your children too and go on trips to the local library to find similar books or authors. Remember; sometimes it is good to read something that is not your usual type of book!