The Sunday Times Top Primary Schools in UK 2023 We are delighted to have been awarded 7th best school in the South West Region and 138th Nationally.
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Reading

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go” ― Dr. Seuss.
 
Reading Gives You Wings...
 

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. 

 Recommended websites:
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/ - Suggested books for children, advice on how to read with your child, book lists, fun games, competitions to win free books, Children's Book Club etc.
 
https://www.lovereading.co.uk/ - Expert recommendations and opening extracts of books 
 
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/ - Phonics advice and access to free E-Books. Free to register.
 
Below in the resources you will also find some recommended reads for each year group. 
 
New Reading Scheme Key Stage 2:
 Here is the link for the reading video which links to the KS2 reading books introduced last academic year - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEjK1vDIseI   
You can also find the letter explaining this below. 
 
Reading Newsletter December 2022 and March 2023
 Please find attached the two of the new this year Reading Newsletters. These will be published three times a year and on them there is information relating to reading at our school as well as recommendations and top tips. 
Reading Club
 
Reading club began back in January, and many children from across the school have used this opportunity to come in at lunch and read in a comfortable, relaxing space with a variety of books. It has been a pleasure to see them getting some much enjoyment from this activiy.

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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. 
  4. Parents/carers/friends/family were invited in to school to read with their child/children. 
The day was very successful and a real joy and love of reading was promoted - thank you everyone and...KEEP READING!

 

 
World Book Day 2022  - Book in a Jar competition
 
What an incredible day we had and thank you to all the parents/carers for their support with our coloured clothing linked to 'The Day the Crayons Quit' as well as with the 'Book in a Jar' competition.  The children produced some amazing work and it is currently being organised into a book to go on display in our library area.
 
We had so many incredible 'Book in a Jar' entries and it took Mrs. Knight and Mrs. Howells ages to choose the winners but here they are...
 

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