From The Head - Friday 26th September 2025
In assembly this morning, courtesy of our lovely Year 6 librarians and Mrs Hague, we were treated to the launch of our new Golden Ticket Reading Challenge.
Reading is at the centre of education and as a school we are hugely passionate about not only ensuring that the children become highly competent readers, but also to instill a love of reading that will become a lifelong custom. We want our children to associate reading with enjoyment and carry this into adulthood.
When children discover the joy of reading for pleasure, they gain much more than just improving their reading skills and vocabulary. Beyond opening doors to exciting stories and imaginative worlds, reading for fun nurtures skills and habits that support learning, growth, and well-being.
The benefits of a strong reading habit are wide reaching. Not only does reading strengthen core literacy skills, it sparks imagination and creativity, transporting young readers to new places and expanding their understanding of the world.
Reading a book also helps children to explore empathy, resilience and problem solving, helping them to process their own feelings and those of others, supporting their emotional development.
In this age of constant digital distraction, reading provides children with quiet time to focus and engage, improving their concentration, skills which benefit not only academic study, but everyday life.
Here are some top tips how parents can encourage reading with their children:
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Let your child choose books that interest them - fiction, non-fiction, comics, graphic novels - anything that hooks them.
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Create a cosy reading space at home.
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Set aside family reading time where everyone enjoys a book together.
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Visit the library or bookstore and explore new titles as an adventure.
Helping children fall in love with reading is a gift that will serve them for years to come. A good book can be a friend, a teacher, and a doorway to endless discovery, and the Golden Ticket Challenge could be the starting point of all this.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Julia Langford
Headteacher