At Witham St Hughs Academy, we believe that reading is the key to unlocking exciting worlds and powerful knowledge for all. Reading is fundamental to our pupils becoming successful and independent learners and we are excited to be a part of their reading journey.
Reading is the vehicle through which children access many other areas of the curriculum and subsequently can open the door to many other aspects in the wider world. We are determined that every child will learn to read, regardless of background, needs or abilities.
Throughout their time at Witham St Hughs Academy, children’s reading diet will allow them to experience and discuss a wealth of texts including poetry, non-fiction and fiction in order to develop their language, vocabulary and comprehension. This reading journey and the texts within it have been carefully planned and sequenced to ensure the intentional and cohesive building of cultural capital in which children have both read and made links between a wide range of texts.
Reading is necessary for learning, so instilling a love of reading at an early age is the key that unlocks the door to lifelong learning. We aim to develop a love of reading for all pupils and inspire them to become lifelong readers. Reading aloud presents books as sources of exciting experiences for children to remember.
Teachers read aloud every day to the children. Instilling a love of reading early gives a child a head start on expanding their vocabulary and building independence and self-confidence. It helps children learn to make sense of the world and people around them, develop social and emotional skills as well as feed their imagination. Children are given independent reading time daily, and have inviting, social reading spaces in school where they can go to enjoy reading. Teachers also promote reading for pleasure through making recommendations of different children’s literature and informal book talk.
We work closely with parents and carers to promote the importance of sharing stories and how this can be done effectively to ensure the greatest impact for their children.
A range of enriching experiences are carefully planned throughout the curriculum, including theatre visits, visits from authors and exposure to the newest releases through close links with publishers.
Please see the below links for further information on how to support your child with reading at home.
This year, we have taken part in the ‘Lincolnshire Reading Pledge’ in collaboration with Witham St Hughs English Hub. In June 2023, we were awarded the ‘Gold’ award which recognises all of the fantastic things we do to promote reading for pleasure here at Witham St Hughs Academy.
