Reading
Reading at Gascoigne Primary School
Welcome to the Reading Pages of the Gascoigne Primary School Website!
At Gascoigne, we believe that Reading matters!. The ability to read is fundamental to all our pupils’ development, to be independent learners during their time at school and beyond. Reading is central to our ability to understand, interpret and communicate with each other and the world around us. Success in reading has a direct effect upon progress in all areas of the curriculum. So we give reading a very high priority at Gascoigne, so that our children become enthusiastic, independent and reflective readers across a wide range of literature, including different text types and genres, books, posters, magazines, signs and newspapers.
The Teaching and Learning of reading at Gascoigne is an engaging and developmental process, starting from linking letters to sounds in Nursery, through to fluently reading age appropriate extensive and other texts across the curriculum in Year 6.
We are committed to developing our pupils' passion for reading in collaboration with parents and other stakeholders. Whatever your role in our school community, these pages are provided for you to learn more about, and join in the celebration of the great reading and readers at Gascoigne Primary School.
Intent
At Gascoigne, we believe that creating a culture of reading is a vital tool in ensuring our children are given the best life chances. Cultivating readers with a passion for a wide range of materials will ensure that our children’s love of reading will extend far beyond the classroom and allow them to build on their skills independently through a real curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
At Gascoigne, we believe that the ability to read is vital to pupils’ learning and progress across all areas of the curriculum, for the opportunity to be independent and in their future life choices. It is crucial in developing children’s self-confidence and motivation.
Reading is central to our capacity to understand, interpret and communicate with each other and the world around us. It should be a source of pleasure and enjoyment as well as the key to taking part in a range of activities. Because reading has a direct effect upon progress in all areas of the curriculum, reading is given a high priority at Gascoigne Primary School, enabling the children to become enthusiastic, independent and reflective readers across a wide range and types of literature, including different text types and genres, books, posters, magazines, signs and newspapers.
Reading development is linked to that of spoken language and of writing. Our pupils are better able to make sense of their own experiences of the world and their place in it by reflecting upon, talking and writing about the stories and texts they encounter. They are able to make deliberate stylistic choices in their own writing by considering the effects of language and structures used by writers. The best readers are the best writers - we read as writers and write as readers!
The Four Principles
The following four principles underpin our intent at Gascoigne.
1. Reading explores Ourselves
Through the teaching and learning of reading and exposure to different types of texts, we encourage our children to learn more about themselves, such as who they are, where they come from, and what their place is in the world. This leads them to question, analyse and explore their values and how these manifest as part of their character.
2. Reading widens our World.
Through the teaching and learning of reading and exposure to a variety of different texts, our children will acquire knowledge and an understanding of our world. Non-fiction texts especially, broaden our children’s understanding of our world’s history, how our world works and how to interpret it.
3. Reading underpins our ongoing Education
Through the teaching and learning of reading skills and exposure to different genres, our pupils develop both the decoding and comprehension skills that will allow them to both access their continuing education, and participate fully in society.
4. Reading affirms our rights
Through the teaching and learning of reading and exposure to different types of texts, our children are reminded of their rights and that we are a Rights Respecting School. Reading encourages a conversation about our rights. Many themes and issues, which our reading curriculum highlights, are addressed and discussed.