Reading for Pleasure

At Yaxley Infant School, we believe that reading should be a fundamental part of childhood and a skill, which should be developed to support lifelong learning. 
Our aim is to develop and embed a strong, sustainable reading culture within the school community. Confident and competent readers will foster a love of reading through a rich and varied experience of texts, in which they are empowered to exercise freedoms of choice and independence. Inspiring children to read is a moral imperative and their fundamental right. It underpins all learning and secures a good trajectory for personal development, understanding the world in which they live. 
We believe that a reading child is a successful child and that: 
• children deserve a rich curriculum, which encourages extensive reading of books and other kinds of texts 
• planning enables links across learning, which create a wide range of opportunities in which children can read for pleasure; 
• children will have the opportunity to experience whole, familiar books to support them in their understanding of literary structures and allow them to become absorbed in the story itself; 
• the active encouragement of reading for pleasure should be a core part of every child’s educational entitlement, whatever their background or attainment. Extensive reading and exposure to a wide range of texts make a huge contribution to students’ educational achievement
• all children should have access to a wide range of texts in different formats and genres and support in enjoying them where necessary 
• the school will engage and support parents in enabling access to a full range of reading experiences.
• home-school relationships will promote the importance of all adults in fostering a love of reading 
• professional development and support for teachers will be provided to allow them to explore the huge range of printed and electronic reading materials available and to enable them to support children in their reading choices. 
The school has a commitment to reflect on the outcomes of this Reading for Pleasure statement and continually review practice to ensure all children become lifelong readers.