We are very proud of our evidence informed literature spine*1 that we have developed at Lakelands. The spine is based on the school's values and there is a balance between fiction texts and poetry, as well as aspirational non-fiction texts to help deliver our humanities, arts and science curricula.
The texts*2 have been carefully curated so that they enhance our knowledge-based curriculum, whilst also helping us drive the global elements of our curriculum including wellbeing, personal, emotional and social development, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion. They have been selected for their richness in vocabulary, cultural capital, and concepts.
It is a spiral literature spine so that pupils have an opportunity to revisit concepts and build on prior knowledge. For example, in Reception pupils will read the fable The Leopard's Drum. Each year, they will continue to read myths and fables that will gradually become more complex in vocabulary, structure and concept so that by the time they are in Year 6, they will be ready to study The Rabbits, a beautifully illustrated fable/allegory about the colonisation of Australia (written from the viewpoint of the colonised).
Each year group from Reception to Year 6, will also study a classic (archaic) text, as well as poetry that pupils will learn to recite and perform as part of our commitment to developing oracy and language skills. Pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 will also study Shakespeare via A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth and some sonnets, helping them prepare for their next stage in their academic journeys.
Our core values are represented in the books chosen; for example when learning about sustainability and environmental conservation, we will be reading Greta and the Giants, David Attenborough and 10 Things I Can Do To Help my World. We have chosen texts which ensure that characters central to stories are representative of our pupils (e.g. The Proudest Blue, The Boy in the Back of the Class). We will also read texts based on migration (e.g. The British Poem by Benjamin Zephaniah, All Aboard the Empire Windrush, The Arrival). The research report 'Reflecting Realities' highlights why this is so important.
When learning about inspirational people from all groups, we look at how we play a part in 'Being the Change'. Books include 'Suffragette - the Battle for Equality, Stories for Kids Who Dared to Be Different, I Am Not A Label, and Dare To be You/You Are Awesome'.
Our complete literature spine can be found below.
*2 Links are to publisher and author websites. Where these are not available, they are to charities such as Booktrust and Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.