Reading for Pleasure at Sedlescombe
Turning pages and Growing Minds:
At Sedlescombe Primary School, reading for pleasure is at the heart of everything we do. It flows through our curriculum, our classrooms, and our conversations. Whether we’re sharing stories, exploring new authors, or chatting about books with friends, reading brings us together and helps us grow as curious, thoughtful learners.
We’re incredibly proud to share that we’ve been awarded the UKLA/OU Gold Quality Mark for Reading for Pleasure – a fantastic recognition of the joyful, inclusive reading culture we’ve built together. This award celebrates how we make reading meaningful for every child, every day.
Relevant Documents
We believe that when children love reading, they become passionate, interested and well-rounded individuals who carry that love with them for life. From picture books to poetry, graphic novels to non-fiction, there’s something for everyone – and every voice matters.
Want to see how reading truly sings at Sedlescombe?
Take a look at our Reading for Pleasure Presentation by clicking the link below!
Books in Every Corner, Stories in Every Heart
At Sedlescombe Primary School, books are truly everywhere – they’re part of the fabric of our learning environment. We have seven well-stocked classroom libraries that offer a real “wow” factor, designed not just to look beautiful but to support purposeful reading. Children enjoy daily chances to relax, explore and get lost in stories in our inviting classroom libraries, which have played a big part in growing a real love of reading across our school.
Across the school, forward-facing shelves in corridors and classrooms invite children to pick up books and take them home, while our reception area even includes books for adults, showing that reading is for everyone. These inviting displays help create a culture where books are part of everyday life, not just lesson time. By making books visible and accessible in every space, we’re encouraging children to see reading as something joyful, shared, and always within reach.
Every Day’s a Reading Day!
To truly develop a love of reading, children need to experience it every day—and that’s exactly what we make happen at Sedlescombe. Every child has daily opportunities to read independently, enjoy a shared class story, and often read with an adult or in a group. Our daily class worships are also centred around children’s
literature, meaning most children hear an extra two to three books each week as part of our whole-school reading culture.
Daily reading helps children build vocabulary, improve focus, spark imagination, and develop empathy—all while making reading feel joyful and part of everyday life. It’s this rich, consistent exposure to books that helps reading come alive across our school.
Bringing Families Together Through Stories
Our Rich Reads Newsletter is sent home every term and is a joyful celebration of reading across our whole school community. Each edition is thoughtfully curated by our teaching team, who come together to recommend a wide variety of high-quality texts for all ages and interests. From picture books and poetry to graphic novels, fiction, and information texts, we make sure there’s something for everyone.
Inside each newsletter, you’ll find a rotating selection of teacher picks, showcasing personal favourites from different members of staff. We also highlight an award-winning book that’s earned literary acclaim and is sure to inspire readers. To help families explore even more great reads, we include a website suggestion each term where further book recommendations can be found.
We believe reading is for everyone, so our newsletter includes recommendations for all age groups. There’s a pre-primary text to spark a love of stories in our youngest learners, a post-primary young adult title to keep our school leavers reading for pleasure, and an adult recommendation to encourage grown-ups to rediscover the joy of reading too.
Throughout the year, we also release special themed editions to celebrate occasions such as Christmas, Anti-Bullying Week, and Autumn. These festive newsletters are packed with seasonal book suggestions, fun activity ideas, and rich texts to help children get into the spirit of each event.
To support families even further, we include Reading for Pleasure Family Guides with practical, friendly tips for creating joyful reading moments at home. Whether it’s building a cosy reading nook, choosing books together, or making time for shared stories, our guides are designed to help every family nurture a lifelong love of reading.
Bookfest: Sharing Stories, Sparking Adventures
One of the most anticipated events in our Reading for Pleasure calendar is BookFest. Held once each term, BookFest gives every member of our school community the opportunity to exchange a book they no longer need for a new book to enjoy. Children, parents, carers and staff are all invited to take part, helping to create a shared celebration of reading across generations.
With a constantly changing selection of children’s and adult books, there is always something new to discover. The excitement of choosing a different book encourages readers to explore new authors, genres and interests while giving pre-loved books a new home. We are also incredibly grateful for the generous donations we receive from our community, which help us keep our bookshelves well stocked and full of exciting choices.
Through BookFest, we aim to make books accessible to everyone, promote sustainable reading habits and, most importantly, inspire a lifelong love of reading throughout our school community.
Author Visits: Inspiring Readers, Nurturing Writers
Our annual author visits are a highlight of our Reading for Pleasure calendar. We have been privileged to welcome talented authors including Thomas Taylor, Lucy Strange and Patrice Lawrence, who have shared their stories, creative journeys and passion for books with our pupils. These exciting events inspire children to read more widely, discover new authors and develop a deeper appreciation of the power of storytelling.
By meeting real authors and hearing first-hand about the writing process, children are encouraged to see themselves as readers, writers and future storytellers. We hope these memorable experiences spark imaginations, build confidence and inspire the next generation of authors to put pen to paper and share their own stories with the world.
Opening Doors Through Books: Our Pupil Premium Texts
We are committed to ensuring that every child has access to high-quality books and rich reading experiences. To help achieve this, we use our Pupil Premium funding to provide a carefully selected book each term for every child on our Pupil Premium register.
These texts are often linked to upcoming curriculum topics, helping to spark curiosity, deepen understanding and inspire children to explore new ideas beyond the classroom. By placing engaging and high-quality books directly into children’s hands, we aim to nurture a love of reading while supporting learning across the curriculum.
A Community of Readers: Our Adult Book Club
At Sedlescombe, we believe that reading is a lifelong journey and that children are inspired when they see the important adults in their lives enjoying books too. Our Adult Book Club brings together parents, carers and staff to share recommendations, discuss great reads and celebrate the joy of reading together. These shared conversations help to create a strong reading culture across our school community, modelling that reading is not just something we do in school but a rewarding and enjoyable part of everyday life. By connecting through books, we foster a community where a love of reading is shared across generations and celebrated by all.