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.

Spoken Language Development Coming Soon

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?

More on Reading for Pleasure coming soon

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:

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.