At Barnwood, we strive to foster a love of reading and proudly place it at the heart of our curriculum. We believe that reading is the ‘golden thread’ that weaves learning together; immersing children in a tapestry of knowledge, understanding, imagination, awe and wonder.

Being able to read enables children to acquire the skills and knowledge they need in order to succeed in life. We start building strong reading foundations in EYFS, from the very first day of school, and early reading is seen as an absolute priority. We understand that unless children can read, they cannot learn to their full potential.

Our pupils are encouraged to read for pleasure and to read widely through our reading scheme and school library. We use Read, Write Inc for our phonics programme. Phonic awareness helps with the development of early reading by teaching children to segment and blend sounds. The children are heard reading regularly, both individually and in groups. Our whole class teacher-led reading sessions cover a wide variety of both fiction and non-fiction books and help to advance the children’s comprehension skills through the use of VIPERS. We provide parents with reading guidance and clear expectations about reading at home and we have a home/school reading initiative that rewards effort and celebrates success.

Our new curriculum has been built around high-quality texts. Children have continuous exposure to literature as part of their cross-curricular learning journey. These texts provide the platform for teachers to forge strong links between subjects, developing children’s knowledge and understanding as well as broadening their social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness. We are also committed to promoting shared enjoyment of a class book or novel and children hear adults read daily.