Reading

Reading at Merton Abbey Primary

“Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible”. Barack Obama

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go”. Dr Seuss

At Merton Abbey, we value reading as a key life skill and we are dedicated to enabling our pupils to become lifelong readers. We aspire to ensure our pupils establish an appreciation and genuine love of reading across all genres. We believe reading opens a new world for children and gives them an opportunity to explore new ideas, visit new places, meet new characters and develop a better understanding of other cultures. Reading feeds pupil’s imagination and opens up a treasure-house of wonder and joy for curious minds. At Merton Abbey, children are exposed to high quality literature, regardless of their ability. We provide language-rich classroom environments and a curriculum where children are exposed to, and actively engage with, high quality language in varying forms in a meaningful, deliberate and engaging way. Through building children’s vocabulary, it gives them the word power they need to become successful speakers and writers as well as confident readers.  

Aims (from the National Curriculum)

Our curriculum for reading aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage