We firmly believe that reading is the key that unlocks a student's future, which is why at RBA we place significant emphasis on reading across our whole curriculum.

We want our students to be inspired by the latest texts, get caught up in a story, gain new ideas and embed these into their learning in all subjects and, as such, we provide students with a dedicated reading lesson as part of their academic curriculum, coupled with a whole school policy for reading which you can find out more about using the link at the bottom of this page.

To promote a love of reading from the start of their time with us, all Year 5 students are given a book on their transition day as a summer read, with the author coming to meet them at the start of the Autumn Term.  We then continue to have visiting authors, poets and spoken-word performers to help continue the love and development of reading throughout the school. 

As you visit RBA, you will also find many displays that promote reading, with staff across the school sharing their favourite texts (including some from their childhood) and what they are currently reading.  We encourage students and staff to regularly talk about their reading and have a weekly Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) session and our reading ambassadors work with their peers to create a love of reading and support the development of reading skills for all.

Accelerated Reader at RBA 

Further to this, we are proud to have recently launched Accelerated Reader, a package that allows students to access comprehension and other quizzes linked to their reading and suggests associated texts that are at the right level for their reading ability. 

Students can access the RBA Accelerated Reader page by clicking here.

If your child wants to quiz about a book and can't find it, then they should use this link to the AR Book Finder.

To support your child with Accelerated Reader, we encourage regular reading at home; listening to your child read aloud can develop their confidence and also aid in their language development.  It also helps them to see that reading is not an activity isolated to school.  When accessing Accelerated Reader, we ask that parents ensure their child has read the book properly and take the test soon after completing the book. This will ensure that students perform well in the tests and show the progress they are making in their reading, as reading and testing well opens up a wider range of books matched to their ability.

There is also a video from Accelerated Reader or you can read our guide below to find out how you can use Accelerated Reader to support your child or just to find out more about this software. 

Finding Books

Our LRC is open every day at break and lunchtime for students to browse our book collection and to borrow books to take home and read.  We actively encourage readers to access books linked to their ability level.

If you would also like to find other books that interest your child, then the LoveReading4Kids website is a great place to start, along with other retailers such as Amazon or Waterstones who often recommend the latest publications in child fiction.