Our Vision
At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we intend to provide a Reading curriculum, which is accessible and aspirational for all children across the whole of the primary phase as we believe that 'Reading Gives You Wings'. We deliver sessions that are engaging and well-resourced to enable access to learning for all children. Our children REACH and strive for excellence, and are able to work both independently and co-operatively. We are dedicated to encouraging all children to be passionate about reading and are determined that ALL children will become highly competent readers by the end of their time with us inspiring them to REACH through Faith, Hope and Love.
It is our intention to immerse pupils in the wonders of quality texts to instil a love for reading, a passion for discovery and a confidence to explore their imagination. We are also committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of Reading in the wider world, developing empathy towards other faiths and cultures, preparing them for all aspects of life including their transition into secondary school.
'The more you read the Bible, the more you'll love it's author'.
What does Reading look like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
Children will experience reading across the curriculum to develop their skills and knowledge in all areas.
They have daily reading sessions in class which are in small groups where they are either working with a teacher or a teaching assistant, or focused on an independent task.
Many children read one-to-one with adults and we are very lucky to have a team of volunteers and support from local charities such as Read With Me and Pets as Therapy to ensure there are a range of opportunities for our children to develop a love or reading as it truly opens doors for them.
World Book Day 2023
When I asked my Year 6 class about ‘Reading for Pleasure’ and what it meant and looked like, they declared we should read all day and be comfy; therefore, our day had a big focus on this. Some of our events/activities were:
- As mentioned above, Year 6 said that when we read for pleasure, we like to be comfortable so they invited all children and staff (!) to dress in their pyjamas/onesies for the day. They brought in a cushion/blanket to use during our many reading sessions throughout the day.
- All classes will be did activities related to Reading for Pleasure. KS2 engaged in an online session with Michael Morpurgo – an incredibly brilliant and well-loved author. KS1 and Reception will be looking at the Share a Story Corner on the WBD website.
- We considered praising our favourite books and choosing one book that as a class we could recommend to other members of the school. Each class created a ‘book’ which is on display in our library corridor.
- Parents/carers/friends/family were invited in to school to read with their child/children.
Reception winner - Tristan - We're Going on a Bear Hunt jar.
Year 1 winner Étienne - Bumble Bear jar
Year 2 winner Henry - Matilda jar
Year 3 winner Maya - The Lighthouse Keepers Lunch jar
Year 4 winner Rosie - Percy Jackson jar
Year 5 winner Florence - A Series of Unfortunate Events jar
Year 6 winner Amelia - A Series of Unfortunate Events jar