Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s success (OECD 2002)

We aim to build an immersive reading environment to create, develop and nurture a reading for pleasure pedagogy for our children.  

At Bishop Gilpin we:

• ensure that every child is regularly read to;
• develop social reading environments that raise the profile of reading for pleasure, spark interest in, and encourage, reading;
• ensure that children have a wide range of high quality books, across a variety of genres, to choose from;
• build reading communities within our school between staff, children and their families.

How do we support Reading for Pleasure?

• Teachers read aloud to children every day;
• Our weekly Collective Worship features a story linked to a topical theme.  The book is then displayed in our library for children to borrow;
• Library opening times are well-publicised and year groups know on which day(s) they can spend time in the library.  Books can be returned at any time and children are given time at the start of the day, at break-time or as part of the timetable to replenish books in order to keep momentum and enthusiasm flowing;
• Our Librarian, Mrs Harris, is available from Monday to Wednesday to engage with our children, help build their confidence in making book choices and encourage reading habits.  
• Creative outreach activities such as ‘BG Bedtime Stories’, ‘Summer Holiday Stories’ and ‘buddy reads’ promote reading and foster belonging for those who may not recognise themselves as a reader;
• There is an inviting reading area in every classroom offering a selection of age-appropriate books;
• Our outdoor classroom is an ideal place for children to choose to spend their lunchtimes independently reading for pleasure;
• The online Library contains useful information and links to encourage pupils and parents/carers to explore our library along with recommended reads and topic books for every year group;
• Our online reservation system allows children to reserve books currently on loan and means that, even those who may not be able to visit the library, can still enjoy our books;
• Children across the school have regular opportunities to engage with a wide range of reading for pleasure events including World Book Day, author visits and Wimbledon BookFest;
• To encourage communication, help track progress and enable personalised recommendations, children across the school complete a home reading record.
• Our children are encouraged to support each other in their reading for pleasure journey via initiatives such as the Year 6 Story Squad, who read to EYFS and Year 1 at lunchtime, and our Pupil Librarians, who volunteer in the Library each week.
• We develop staff knowledge on the reading for pleasure pedagogy through updates and meetings.  There is a bookshelf in the Staff Room for staff to choose and share books with each other;
• We have a large group of Reading Mentor volunteers from our community who read one-to-one each week with selected children.  We also work with the charity Coram Beanstalk to give selected children encouragement in their reading experiences;
• To share our love of reading, our monthly BG Book Club is available to the adults in our community; 
• Library news and updates are shared across our community in our weekly ‘BG Update’ and on Instagram @librarybishopgilpin.

An overview of which authors, books and texts are covered in each year group can be found on our Reading Curriculum Overview.

Key Stage 1 parents/carers can learn more about supporting reading at home through our presentation to parents.  If you would like to watch videos to learn about how to support your child with phonics and reading, please visit the Little Wandle YouTube channel.

 ‘The will influences the skill and vice versa.’ (OECD 2010)