Reading Spine
Our Reading Spine ensures that no matter a child's reading ability, they can access age appropriate quality texts and develop a love of reading. They might access the books on the Reading Spine in lessons, in small groups, 1:1 with an adult, or even take the books home to read.
These texts are expected reads for each child in the year group. They cover a range of current themes such as diversity, living with a disability and environmental responsibility to name several. It has been collated from various sources, including publications for teachers, popular social media channels (e.g. @colourfull_20, The Literacy Shed. @MrBoothY6, Love Reading 4 Kids) and staff recommendations, to deliberately expose the children to inspirational authors, a range of genres and key texts that we want them to have encountered by the time they leave primary education. Reading occurs daily and is central to our curriculum at Abingdon.
In some instances, a child may need some adult assistance to read the whole book form the Reading Spine. However, they should be exposed to the experience of reading a whole book, and the satisfaction and sense of achievement gained from doing so. The books chosen for the Reading Spine triangulate with the narrative immersion texts used as part of our curriculum offer and the Love Reading Challenge.
We have high expectations of all children and they will be encouraged and supported to access these books appropriate to their age range.
***The Reading Spine will always remain a working document - excellent new books are constantly been written and discovered, and so may change year on year***