Reading
At Robin Hood Primary School, the teaching of English – both Reading and Writing – sits at the very heart of our curriculum. We believe that every child deserves access to an ambitious, engaging and inspiring reading journey that equips them with the skills and confidence they need for the future. Reading is a key life skill and we are dedicated to nurturing pupils who not only read with fluency and understanding but who also develop a genuine, lifelong love of books.
We are proud of our carefully designed and purposeful Reading Spines, alongside our developing Wider Curriculum Reading Spines, which ensure that children encounter ambitious, current and exciting texts throughout their time with us. These collections are reviewed and refined by all teaching staff each year so that they remain relevant, challenging and reflective of our pupils’ interests and needs.
Our approach is built on a clear understanding that:
· Children need both strong language comprehension and secure word-reading skills to become confident readers
· A love of reading can have a powerful and lasting impact on a child’s future
At Robin Hood, we value progress academically and emotionally in equal measure. Reading not only supports achievement across the curriculum but also plays a vital role in children’s wellbeing, empathy and self-expression.
“Children who are engaged with reading and writing are three times more likely to have high mental wellbeing than children who aren’t.”
— National Literacy Trust
Through high-quality teaching, rich texts and a culture that celebrates reading, we strive to ensure that every child leaves Robin Hood Primary School as a confident, enthusiastic and thoughtful reader.
Reading Spines
At Robin Hood Primary School we have developed a reading spine that every year group will get to know and enjoy. Each class shares a carefully chosen book as a daily reader for around fifteen minutes, giving children regular time to listen, imagine and talk about stories together. These texts have been selected to reflect a wide range of authors, themes and genres so that every child experiences rich and inspiring literature.
Our class readers are more than just stories – they are a way to introduce pupils to higher-level vocabulary, varied language structures and new ideas about the world. Through discussion and enjoyment of these books, children build their understanding, confidence and love of reading.
By the time pupils move through the school, the reading spine ensures they have encountered a broad collection of memorable books that support their learning across the curriculum and help them grow into enthusiastic, thoughtful readers.
Whole Class Reading Map
At Robin Hood we follow a Whole Class Reading Map from Year 2 to Year 6 to ensure that every child experiences high-quality, structured reading lessons. Each half term pupils explore a carefully planned range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, allowing them to develop a broad understanding of different text types and authors. During lessons, these texts are closely analysed so that children can deepen their comprehension, explore language choices and discuss themes in detail.
The reading map is flexible and may evolve from year to year so that it reflects the interests and needs of our pupils and includes new and engaging literature. Through this approach we aim to build confident, reflective readers who can think critically about what they read and develop a lifelong love of books.
Reading Buddies
At Robin Hood Primary School we are proud to run our Reading Buddies programme, where children are partnered with a pupil from another year group – for example, Year 6 pupils regularly read with children in Reception. These special sessions give younger children the opportunity to enjoy stories with an older role model, while our older pupils develop responsibility, confidence and leadership skills.
Reading Buddies helps to build a real love of books across the school community. Younger children benefit from hearing fluent, expressive reading and from talking about stories in a relaxed, supportive way. Older pupils strengthen their own reading skills and gain a sense of pride as they support and encourage their partners.
Most importantly, the programme creates warm, positive relationships between year groups and helps to foster a whole-school culture where reading is valued, shared and celebrated by everyone.
Reading at Home
At Robin Hood, we believe that regular reading is key to a child’s academic progress and lifelong love of books. All pupils are expected to read at least four times a week – whether independently, with an adult, or as part of our reading activities in school.
Consistent reading helps children to:
· Develop fluency and comprehension skills
· Build a rich and varied vocabulary
· Strengthen confidence and concentration
· Foster imagination and a love of stories
To support families, we provide book recommendations for each year group. For suggested reads, please visit the following:
Reception – https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/reception/
Year 1 – https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/year-1/
Year 2 – https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/year-2/
Year 3 – https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/year-3/
Year 4 – https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/year-4/
Year 5 – https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/year-5/
Year 6 - https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/year-6/
Reading for Pleasure Bags
Our Reading for Pleasure Bags are a special way to encourage young children to enjoy reading at home. Each week, one child from Reception to Year 2 takes home a bag containing three carefully chosen books and a teddy friend. The child can read the stories with their teddy and then record their reading adventures in a special journal.
This initiative helps to develop a love of reading, builds confidence, and creates magical reading experiences that children can share with their families.
