This term we have decided to do something a little different! Rather than have an ‘author’ of the term, we have decided to have a ‘theme’ of the term. For Spring Term we will be looking at the theme of resilience and perseverance and how this is portrayed through stories and books.

We all need to develop and grow the skills of resilience and perseverance as we get older and face the many adventures life has in store for us, and we want to ensure our young people are equipped with these skills for today and for their futures. We plan to use lots of stories and books (some are in the picture above) to help them recognise the importance of having resilience and grit, the power of the word ‘yet’ and the courage to keep on going even when the going gets tough.

In November, St Richard's were incredibly lucky to welcome the Waterstones children's Laureatte, Joseph Coelho, to our school via zoom! Joseph took the time out of his busy schedule to hold a whole school assembly during which every child in school had the opportunity to meet Joseph and to hear about his childhood and find out what inspires him. He shared some of his work with us and gave us a riddle challenge! It was so much fun!!!

Later in the morning year 4 and 5 took part in the most fantastic workshops and even produced some of their own writing inspired and guided by Joseph himself. 

It was an absolute honour and privilege to meet Joseph and have him share these experiences with us! The children have been talking about the event non stop and even some of our youngest children were inspired to go home and write their own poetry which they brought in to share with their friends. 

We've included some photos of the morning and some of the writing and opinions of our pupils inspired by Joseph! 

At St Richard’s reading is at the heart of our curriculum. It is an important and exciting part of our daily experience and is essential for developing the educational and social progress of our pupils. we foster a lifelong love of reading through a broad and balanced curriculum to cultivate learners who become proficient readers with the skills needed to ensure successful progression onto the next stage of their learning and beyond. It is our aim that every child reaches their full potential to become confident, enthusiastic readers and diverse, understanding members of society. As role models of literature, it is our intention to nurture a love of reading, to immerse children in high quality texts rich in vocabulary and to develop a curiosity and care of our world.

Reading begins as soon as children start Reception through the systematic teaching of phonics. We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised phonics scheme to teach proficient and fluent reading and build the children’s vocabulary throughout Early Years and Key Stage 1. Please see the phonics section of our website for more information.

As children move through the school, reading continues to be a top priority and is at the heart of everything we do! All children in school have a reading lesson every day based on the national curriculum objectives. In Early Years and Key Stage 1 a guided reading lesson takes place in addition to daily phonics lessons and follows the Little Wandle approach. In Key Stage 2 children have a daily guided reading session which is focused on the skills set out in the National Curriculum. Through these lessons children are given the opportunity to read, develop their comprehension skills and discuss books and vocabulary with an adult.

High Quality texts are chosen by teachers to inspire writing, enhance pupils’ knowledge of their topics across the curriculum and every child experiences a daily story time – something both the adults and children very much look forward to each day!

Our year 5 pupils make excellent Reading Buddies during lunch times for those children who wish to read during these times and act as superb role models for our younger pupils.

We have an ‘Author or Poet of the Term’ Each half term. Every class enjoys discovering and learning more about their poetry and books.

We like to enhance our reading experiences further with Author visits, whole school reading events and access to our fabulous school library - please see our library section of the website under 'Parents and Carers'. We also have some wonderful volunteers from our community who come in and read with our children - just for the fun of it! 

Reading in the Wider Curriculum

Sharing a story can be the most rewarding and valuable time of the day and is vital a child's development and their understanding of the world. We encourage our parents to share stories with their child as often as possible.

                          WHY IS SHARING STORIES SO CRUCIAL?
‘Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, more than parents’ educational background or their income.’
The Organisation for economic co-operation & development 

Spending just 10 minutes a day reading and sharing stories with children can make a crucial difference to their outcome and it’s fun for all involved. You can read together anywhere and everywhere, from breakfast to bedtime! In the park, on the train, on the sofa, on a plane – reading and sharing stories can happen anywhere at any time.