Reading

At Eastburn, we work hard to develop children's reading skills and to promote a love of books.  We want children to be confident readers, who enjoy reading a wide range of texts and can talk about books and authors.  Our school uses Read, Write Inc and the Oxford reading scheme to support children in developing the necessary skills as they progress through school. 

“At Eastburn, we are dedicated to helping our pupils become skilled readers with a deep understanding of words, language, and texts as they progress through school.”- Mrs Farkas (English Lead)

A strong foundation in language and vocabulary is key to success, and spoken language development is closely integrated with reading and learning across the curriculum. We foster children's speaking and listening skills through various engaging approaches, including exploratory play, story time, hot-seating, drama, debate, and collaborative learning experiences.

Additionally, we incorporate Philosophy for Children, a structured program that encourages pupils to ask open-ended questions rather than closed ones. Each session begins with a stimulus, prompting children to use their imagination and curiosity to ask questions based on wonderment (e.g., I wonder why…?). The class then collectively selects the most intriguing question to explore. The discussion that follows is fluid and guided by the children’s own thoughts and ideas, allowing them to agree and disagree while always providing reasons for their viewpoints. This approach nurtures critical thinking, reasoning, and respectful dialogue, enriching their language and comprehension skills.

Children first learn to read, then read to learn. Our goal is to foster a lifelong love of reading, enabling pupils to read both for purpose and for pleasure. Reading for enjoyment—frequent and enthusiastic—builds essential foundations for life. It shapes how we interact, respond, empathize, and develop the tools to express ourselves and interpret the world around us.

Which book sparked your love of reading?

Reading for Pleasure at Our School

At our school, we believe that reading is magical. It opens doors to new worlds, sparks imagination, and empowers children to explore, learn and dream. Reading for Pleasure sits at the heart of our curriculum because we know that children who read for enjoyment become confident, motivated and lifelong learners.

As part of this commitment, we have worked hard to create exciting book spines across school. These carefully selected texts enrich learning, link closely to the curriculum and spark deep interest, ensuring every child experiences a rich, diverse and inspiring reading journey.

It is our duty and privilege to help every pupil discover the joy, power and adventure that books bring.

Daily Reading for Pleasure

Every afternoon, we end the school day with a dedicated Reading for Pleasure session. Teachers read aloud a book chosen by the class, using the visualiser so pupils can see the pages clearly and enjoy both the text and illustrations.

During this time, teachers also:

• introduce exciting new books
• share teasers or book talks
• give quick recommendations
• encourage pupils to choose books that genuinely interest them

This daily routine helps create a calm, joyful and shared reading culture.

Inviting Reading Spaces

Each classroom contains a welcoming reading corner, refreshed termly to keep it exciting and inspiring. With soft furnishings and themed displays, these cosy spaces allow children to enjoy books in comfort.

Every class also visits the school library weekly. Pupils can browse our wide selection, choose a book and take it home to enjoy. This helps them develop independence and long‑lasting reading habits.

Reading Leaders: Pupils Who Inspire Pupils

Our school is proud to have a fantastic team of Reading Leaders—pupils who love reading and want to share that love with others.

Each week, Reading Leaders:

• listen to younger pupils read
• help them grow in confidence
• recommend books matched to their interests
• update the Reading Leader display in the library

They also share weekly book recommendations on their class Padlets, helping pupils across school discover stories, authors and genres they may not have explored before.

Our Book‑Bag Adventure

Every week, one pupil from each class takes home our special Reading for Pleasure Book Bag. Inside, they will find:

• a new book
• a cuddly reading buddy
• a sachet of hot chocolate

The book bag is designed to support reading at home and help families enjoy a relaxed, positive reading experience together. We encourage parents and carers to share the book with their child — or for the child to read to their adult, their sibling, or even the cuddly reading buddy inside the bag. This time together helps build confidence, fluency and genuine enjoyment of books.

Each pupil completes a creative response at home in the class reading journal. This might be a drawing, a short review, a character reflection or another imaginative piece inspired by the story. When they return the book bag and journal to school, they share their work with the class, helping inspire their peers and celebrate their reading achievements.

This home–school reading link is a special and much‑loved part of our approach to reading for pleasure, giving families a chance to enjoy stories together and helping children see themselves as real readers.

A Diverse and Welcoming Library

Our library is a bright, inclusive space filled with a wide range of diverse and representative books.
Clear labels help pupils easily find genres they enjoy, including adventure, fantasy, poetry, non‑fiction and graphic novels.

We want every child to find books that speak to their interests, identities and imaginations.

Library Padlets, Classroom Padlets and Reading Shed

From Year 2 upwards, pupils use our Reading Padlets to share recommendations and discover books suggested by classmates. We also have a whole‑school library Padlet featuring new and popular titles.

Our Reading Shed is open during playtimes and lunchtimes and provides a cosy outdoor space for pupils to enjoy books with friends.
If pupils can’t find a book they want, they can leave a request, and our Reading Leaders ensure new books are added.

Celebrating Reading All Year Round

Reading is celebrated throughout the year with exciting events such as World Book Day, National Poetry Day and themed reading weeks.

Author and Illustrator Visits

We regularly welcome authors and illustrators into school. These visits give children valuable opportunities to:

• meet real authors
• ask questions about writing
• discover how stories are created
• learn where ideas come from

These sessions inspire creativity, deepen pupils’ love of reading and help them see themselves as potential writers.

World Book Day

World Book Day is a highlight of our school year. Pupils come dressed in pyjamas, loungewear or book‑themed costumes and take part in a wide range of engaging reading activities, including:

• decorating a paper plate as a book character
• visiting our themed Starbooks Café
• exploring reading challenges
• enjoying a story under the interactive fire

We also host our popular Mystery Reader event and organise both class and whole‑school book swaps.

To make the day extra special, the school purchases the official World Book Day books so that every pupil can choose one to take home and keep.

Reading Leaders at Eastburn

At Eastburn Primary School, we are proud to have a wonderful group of Year 6 Reading Leaders who play an important role in promoting a love of reading across the school.

Part of their role involves working with younger children, listening to them read, and helping them to grow in confidence. They also take responsibility for running our school library—restocking categories, keeping it tidy and inviting, and recommending books to other pupils. In addition, they manage our outdoor Reading Shed, ensuring it is always filled with exciting books that children themselves have requested.

Reading Leaders also support Mrs Farkas with whole-school Reading for Pleasure assemblies and special events such as World Book Day, helping us to celebrate reading together as a community. Their influence goes beyond school too. Recently, they visited a local care home where they shared stories with residents. The care home coordinator said, “The Reading Leaders brightened the residents’ day and also helped many of them revisit their youth with the different stories.”

Being a Reading Leader is a role of real responsibility. Our pupils are not only developing their own leadership skills, but they are also making a real difference—helping to inspire younger children, fostering a love of books, and sharing the joy of reading within our school and wider community.

Meet our wonderful Reading Leaders:

Celebrating Our Reading Leaders

We are so proud of our wonderful Reading Leaders, who recently led an assembly with such confidence and enthusiasm! They introduced themselves to the whole school and shared all about their important role in promoting a love of reading across Eastburn.

Everyone joined in brilliantly, offering thoughtful ideas about how we can work together to look after our amazing school library.

To end the assembly, we shared a special story created together — a story that reminded us that books are more than just pages; they bring laughter, learning, love, and friendship.

What a fantastic way to celebrate the joy and power of reading!

World Book Day 2026

Promoting British Values through reading

Please take a look through the document below to explore some of the books available to our children which promote British Values. All the books are available to read in the school library.