Teachers are often asked by parents how they can help enthuse their children to read and what types of books would be suitable. We wanted to have a very clear answer to this question. At the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year, we introduced our Caldecote Reading Spine. It is a progressive book list that runs from Reception to Year 6. We have collated a mixture of books that should suit readers of all ability. Some of the books we have added are the titles that we read to the children during the school year. Others have been chosen because they link to our topics or they have interesting themes that we can discuss or they have been recommended by national book awards or educational agencies such as the National Literacy Trust. As our spine is in its infancy, we have focused on narrative. We will be adding poetry and non-fiction later in the year.  

Each class has got a copy of each of the books on the spine. The children can take turns borrowing the books and reading them to or with their families. 

Each pupil has been given a 'Reading Passport' where they can tick off the books as they read them. There is an opportunity to rate the books so that we can review the books on the list at the end of each academic year. We hope that the spine will have an impact on reading for pleasure and enjoyment as well as helping with the skills of reading. 

You can view the whole reading spine below.