The aim of this reading spine is to provide an extensive list of core books which staff can apply to their own long-term plans. These are books to use as class reads, study books for writing and whole class reading, recommendations for reading areas or for extracts (taken from them to look at in greater detail). The intention is that by the time they reach year 6 and beyond, they have developed a wide, rich vocabulary and broader knowledge of the world and, as a result, are able to access the more complex books expected of them in secondary schools. It should be noted that book and text selection in school not only considers narratives and poems but also recognises that a good balance of topic-appropriate non-fiction should also be read to help further develop children’s background knowledge of the subject they are studying.
Our reading spine is a working document, as staff discover new books that suit topic areas that are being covered, texts are chosen for writing and new books for pleasure are discovered to share with the children.