Reading for Pleasure
 

‘Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s success’ (OECD 2002)

‘The will influences the skill and vice versa’ (OECD 2010)
 

Our school highly values Reading for Pleasure and we work hard to grow our RfP pedagogy. We ensure that our children not only have the opportunity to read (a time-limited skill) but they can become lifelong readers for purpose and pleasure. They will become people who not only can read but do read from choice a wide variety of texts on paper and on screen. We believe that the active encouragement of reading for pleasure is a core educational entitlement, whatever our pupils’ background or attainment.

By giving our children the gift of reading, we show them that books, especially literature and poetry, have the power to inspire, to console, to heal and transform for the rest of their lives.

To achieve this aim of creating a community of lifelong readers, we use the following strategies:
 

• We read aloud to children every day. We choose these books carefully as we want our pupils to experience a wide range of books, including those that reflect our children at Eastchurch and our local community as well as books that open windows into other worlds and cultures. Reading should act as both a mirror and a window.

‘Children need windows and mirrors. They need mirrors in which they see themselves and windows through which they see the world.’ Dr.Rudine Sims Bishop (2005)

We harness the power of reading aloud as the key driver in increasing reading for pleasure and developing pupils’ positive attitudes towards this key skill. Staff choose from a selection of high-quality texts for each year group, supplemented by texts of their choice, and make reading aloud sessions an integral part of each day. Listening to adults read aloud is enormously beneficial as it allows pupils to soak up the tunes and rhythms of the language. Being removed from the need to translate the marks on the page gives freedom for the mind and imagination to move at leisure. We believe our older pupils need this experience just as much as younger ones. Pupils can access texts of greater difficulty and depth than their current independent reading skills allow, mediated through the expressive reading of a skilled adult, creating meaning through the text and the voice.
 

• All staff act as role models for active, engaged reading by sharing their pleasure and enjoyment of texts of all kinds in the planned curriculum and informally. Sharing and talking about books and other reading materials is frequent and regular, inside the classroom and outside, during lessons and at other times. Adults make explicit how reading has an essential role in their lives.
   
• All pupils have access to a wide range of fiction, poetry and non-fiction in different formats, and support in enjoying them, where necessary. We widen our knowledge of what is available to interest all our children, to include picture books and graphics texts for all ages and to include the use of technology. Non-fiction includes material such as magazines, catalogues, comics, leaflets, newspapers, as well as traditional non-fiction texts. Developing comprehension through the use of audio-books is part of our school’s action plan and this will play an important part in increasing enjoyment and access to texts for all.  
   
• Every classroom has an inviting book corner that encourages a love for reading. We curate these books and talk about them to entice children to read a wide range of books. We will audit our reading resources regularly, involving the pupils in the process of choosing books and other reading materials for class and library stock. We will keep book areas and displays up-to-date, tidy and attractive, again involving the children in maintaining a high standard. The message that our school is a vibrant reading community will be clearly visible.
   
• The school library is made available for classes to use at protected times and it is a central learning resource, well-used and well-maintained by staff and pupils. We ensure our library is welcoming, accessible for all ages and comfortable. We audit the stock termly to make sure it is relevant, up-to-date and attractive.
   
• Children across the school have regular opportunities to engage with a wide range of RfP events (book fairs, author visits and workshops, national events, etc.).

• Children choose from our range of carefully chosen books to take home and share with an adult. We keep a record of the children’s choices, so we get to know them as readers.
   
• ​​​​​​​As children progress through school, we take time to get to know them as readers and ensure that we engage in meaningful conversations about the books that they have read. By doing this we can recommend authors and genres of books to expand their interests.
   
• We are developing our links with the library service to encourage families to become members of their public library as well as encouraging children to become owners of books at home. We are also developing our own adult library as a resource to engage our local community from September 2025.
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• We provide training and professional development for all staff so that we develop an embedded, sustainable culture of reading for pleasure which is not dependent on the enthusiasm of one or two people.