The National Year of Reading at Hucknall National Primary School

The National Year of Reading is a nationwide celebration designed to inspire children, families, and communities to discover the joy of reading. It encourages everyone to see reading not just as a school skill, but as something magical, exciting, and full of possibility. 

At our Hucknall National, reading for pleasure is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that when children enjoy reading, they become confident learners, imaginative thinkers, and enthusiastic storytellers. That’s why we work hard to create a reading culture that every child can feel part of.

How We Promote Reading for Pleasure

• Inviting reading spaces: Our classrooms and library are designed to be warm, welcoming places where children can relax with a book and explore new stories.

• Daily reading time: Every class enjoys dedicated time each day to read, listen to stories, and talk about books they love.

• Exciting events: From author visits and book fairs to themed reading weeks and story‑sharing assemblies, we make reading a celebration all year round.

• A rich variety of books: We carefully choose books that reflect our children’s interests, backgrounds, and experiences, helping every child find stories they connect with.

• Family involvement: We encourage reading at home and share ideas with families about how to make reading enjoyable beyond the classroom.

We want every child to discover that reading can open doors, spark imagination, and bring endless enjoyment.

The Just Read Project 

Our Just Read project is an important part of our reading culture in Years 3, 4 and 5. It gives children the chance to experience high‑quality literature every day and helps them develop the confidence, curiosity and enjoyment that come from reading widely.

As part of the project, each class studies two carefully chosen books across the year: one modern text and one classic. This balance allows children to enjoy exciting contemporary stories while also being introduced to timeless literature that has shaped readers for generations.

How It Works

• A copy for every child: Each pupil has their own book so they can follow the text closely as their teacher reads aloud.

• A chapter a day: Classes enjoy a dedicated daily reading session, moving through the story at a steady pace and building reading stamina.

• Discussion and reflection: After each chapter, children spend time talking about what has happened, sharing predictions, exploring characters and summarising key events.

• Challenging, rewarding texts: The books chosen stretch children’s thinking, introduce rich vocabulary and spark lively conversations. Pupils are rising to the challenge and are genuinely enjoying the stories.

Why It Matters

Just Read helps children develop a deeper understanding of the books they encounter and encourages them to see reading as something enjoyable and meaningful. By immersing pupils in high‑quality texts and giving them time to talk, think and reflect, we aim to nurture confident, thoughtful readers who love stories.