Reading

Children are taught to read letters or groups of letters by saying the sound(s) they represent. Children can then start to read words by blending the sounds together to make a word. This is a very exciting time as the more accurate and fluent your child becomes the more they are likely to enjoy reading. There is strong evidence linking reading for pleasure and educational outcomes, but the benefits go beyond this and stretch throughout a person’s life. 

Love of reading 

Research specifically shows that the benefits of reading are more likely to be felt when reading takes place through free choice. The outcomes of reading will occur more often and more strongly if reading is enjoyable in the first instance. This is why developing a love of reading from the earliest moments is so important. 

Reading should be an everyday part of our lives, something we choose to do at all ages. At William Morris Primary School we have a culture of reading for enjoyment that will develop a lifelong love of reading which could benefit children in so many ways. We recognise that reading for pleasure will encourage children to succeed both academically and socially. 

At William Morris we are passionate about making a difference and promoting a love of reading. We aim to empower children to explore a multitude of worlds beyond their own.

Here are some of the things we do:

Oxford Raise a Reader

We are fortunate enough to be part of the Oxford Raise a Reader programme. This campaign was created by Oxford University Press to help provide children and young people with the tools and opportunities to become lifelong readers in the wake of the pandemic. They aim to bring schools, booksellers, local communities, parents, librarians, literacy partners and reading experts together to unite in a shared mission to raise readers.

As a result of this programme, we have been able to continue diversifying our broad range of texts in our library, attend CPD with reading professionals and offer our children tickets to author events because at William Morris, we are raising readers!