We love Reading at Marden Lodge

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

At Marden Lodge Primary School we want to inspire our children to become enthusiastic, confident and competent readers. Children are given the opportunity to listen to and study texts in order to discuss themes, character and plot development as well as begin to make links between other texts and authors. We use age-appropriate novels and picture books that have been carefully selected in order to cover a range of text types across a school year as well as providing direct links and enrichment to our wider curriculum. We aim for all our children to love reading.

Early reading

Phonics is a method of learning to read words that is taught right from the start of Nursery and Reception. 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. 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. See our phonics page for more information.

Love of reading 

Research shows that the benefits of reading are more likely to be felt when reading takes place through free choice. This is why developing a love of reading from the earliest moments is so important. Confident and competent readers will foster a love of reading through a rich and varied experience of texts, in which they are empowered to exercise freedoms of choice and independence. Inspiring children to read is their fundamental right.  It underpins all learning and secures a good path for personal development and an understanding of the world in which they live.

Reading should be an everyday part of our lives, something we choose to do at all ages. At Marden Lodge 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. We are all passionate to make a difference and promote this love of reading. 

Here are some of the things we do: 

1. Whole class reading  

2. Reading on the playground at lunchtime

3. Enrichment days- e.g World Book Day, Pyjamarama

4. Webinars with authors

5. Marden school library 

6. Local library visits

7. Reading recommendations through book journals

8. Assemblies through picture books

9. Children choose the books they want to read

Virtual Library

Our virtual library offers many exciting reads for your child to enjoy with you, or independently. It contains many new books for you and your child to discover and enjoy at any time. Each section of the library contains book suggestions for various themes.

Simply click on the book you would like to read and you will be taken to an external website. Look out for some of our staff favourite books as well as books shared with the whole school in assemblies.