Welcome to the web page dedicated to Reading for Pleasure. Did you know that there is strong evidence that reading for pleasure can increase empathy, improve relationships with others, reduce the symptoms of depression and improve wellbeing throughout life?

At St Thomas More School we want to encourage all our pupils to develop a life long love for reading.

This page will show you some of the things we do in school to promote reading and will provide information for parents and carers to help them support their children with reading.

For more information on reading for pleasure, see the link below from the Reading Agency:

• Reading Agency

Reading for Pleasure

Reading for pleasure opens up new worlds for children. It gives them the opportunity to use their imagination to explore new ideas, visit new places and meet new characters.

Reading for pleasure also improves children’s well-being and empathy. It helps them to understand their own identity, and gives them an insight into the world and the views of others. Research shows that reading for pleasure can be directly linked to children’s success throughout their time at school and even into adulthood.

Taken from oxfordowl.co.uk – reading for pleasure

World Book Day is about celebrating a love of reading. Every day at St Thomas More School, we take time to share stories, read aloud, explore books and develop a love of reading. But it was great fun to be able to devote an entire day to celebrate the 25^th Anniversary of World Book Day.

The children looked amazing in their costumes: we had Stick Man, Tom Gates, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Alex Rider, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Aladdin, Astronauts, Spider Man, Cruella De Vil, and lots more…

Across the school there were a variety of book themed activities taking place throughout the day, including:

• Watching and listening to the World Book Day Song 2022 by MC Grammar. Click the link, how many stories can you spot in the song?
• Taking part in the national BBC World Book Day Live Lesson which focussed on reading for pleasure through fun interactive activities. Illustrator Dapo Adeola joined the hosts to complete an illustration live on the show whilst award-winning author Frank Cottrell-Boyce put the presenters to a test in a literacy challenge and also answered questions about what it is like to be a children’s author.
• In Foundation Stage, the children participated in an active story-telling workshop linked to ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.’ Bear footprints were spotted in the corridors leading into the school hall…
• In Years 1-6, children designed and made their ‘stories in a box’ based on their favourite books. There was a real buzz of enthusiasm and team work as children used their creative skills to produce some fantastic work, which we shared in Friday’s celebration assembly.
• In Key Stage One, children joined together to share stories and read aloud together.
• In Year 5, we began our new class novel ‘Goodnight Mr Tom.’

 

Have a look at the photos to give you a taste of what fun we had. Thank you to all of the parents and carers who helped their children to find a costume or bring in boxes and supplies to create the stories in a box. Your support is appreciated.

All children were given a World Book Day token, to spend on a book. Please check book bags if you have not seen these. Let’s continue to celebrate and enjoy reading for pleasure EVERY DAY.

Here are some useful links to support parents and carers in encouraging their children to read. There are also links to recommended books for different ages.

• Ideas to Inspire your Child to Read More

• Reading Lists for Primary Schools

• Hints and Tips for Parents to Raise a Reader

 

Whether you’re a reader, a parent, a carer, a grandparent, a godparent, a teacher or a librarian let’s all remember that great things happen when we read.