Reading for Pleasure

Vision:
At Blackpool, we believe that reading should be a pleasurable and inspirational experience. As part
of our vision and values for reading, we want our children to be enthused by books and grow into
adults who will actively choose to read. We believe that children who read for pleasure deepen their
understanding of the world around them and develop their compassion towards others. All of our
children have access to books and we strive to promote a thrill of reading. Reading for pleasure at
Blackpool aims to establish each child as a lifetime reader. Research has highlighted the importance
of reading for pleasure for both educational as well as personal development. These studies show
that promoting reading can have a major impact on children, their future and their life chances.

Reading for Pleasure, although linked to our English Policy, stands alone in its promotion and
encouragement of reading, as a pleasurable activity. It is used to engrain the philosophy, for a wide
range of reading within the fabric of our school.

What the school will offer:

 Access to a wide range of texts/books for all children.

 Provide regular time spent reading aloud by teachers, support staff, volunteers and reading
buddies (peer-to-peer reading).
 Teachers and support staff actively encouraging a love of reading; promote reading of a wide
range of texts/books.
 Display reading material around the school environment.
 Promote and nourish an understanding and enjoyment of different text/book types (linked
to the 5 plagues of reading).
 Provide opportunities for children to read self-chosen texts/books during the day.
 Promote a culture where texts/books are discussed in structured and unstructured ways,
e.g. teacher to teacher, teacher to child and child-to-child discussions.
 Teachers and support staff support children with their choice of texts/books through
recommendations and a knowledge of individual preferences.
 External visitors discussing their interest and/or occupation linked to reading.
 Communication via newsletters and the school website to support parents/guardians in
promoting reading for pleasure.

Priorities for 2019/2020:

As part of our continued focus on promoting Reading for Pleasure, we have accessed current
research and listened to our children’s views in order to have a clear focus on developing Reading
for Pleasure during the school year. Please see our ‘2019/2020 Reading for Pleasure rationale’ for
further information.