Primary Rocks Edchat

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...unfortunately, it has to be our #PrimaryRocks edchat at this moment in time. I am OK, but I know that over the coming weeks, there are things that I will miss if I am not mindful so I need a hiatus.

Thanks for all your contributions over the years and I hope to be back soon.

Hi Folks. Apologies to anyone who was expecting #PrimaryRocks to be running tonight, but it won't be on now this term. Everything is alright, but something has to give and...

Better late than never! #PrimaryRocks

Unfortunately I can’t make #PrimaryRocks tonight but I do have this as a puzzle for you! Answers to follow!

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Thanks for a great chat, everyone!

Enjoy the break!

We get TWO weeks!

See you all on 9th June!

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Final final #PrimaryRocks Question...

What about celebrity authors - David Baddiel, David Walliams, Tom Fletcher et al. ? Would they make it on to your reading curriculum?

I see so many spines that trudge through “classics” that children struggle to connect with.

We would do a disservice to our pupils by not balancing and introducing new as well as older. Imagine ignoring “The Final Year” by Matt Goodfellow or “Fallout” by Lesley Parr both stunning books

Such as...

😉

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What are your favourite 2025 releases so far?!

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#PrimaryRocks Q3

Final question tonight!

Reading aloud...

How important is it and when is the right time to stop?

Where it says 'instructional texts' ... what does this mean?

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Reading Spine Reading Spine Every Child’s Entitlement This is our reading range - the books that every child in our school will hear read aloud from cover to cover. Some of them are instructional texts, to be stu...

docs.google.com/document/d/1...
It's a working document on our website and includes a form for suggestions for the next review that anybody can contribute to.

We review our Reading Spine every 2 years, at the announcement of the new children's laureate.

This is the other thing... I want children to encounter books they would not normally encounter!

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It really is. It helps having very knowledgeable staff.

The oversight of the books equally has to open children up to books and help them develop their taste and passion.

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-Mix of genres, protagonist (male, female, animal).
-mix of cultures/settings
-Mix of antiquated language (even though I'd drop this happily, a secondary teacher once convinced me)
-mix of 'themes'
-balance of author age/race/gender

Love that question. I always try my best to show passion for it. The reality is that some children may enjoy that story and they should be about to.

If a book isn’t vibing with the majority of the class we change it. #PrimaryRocks

Where is that balance?!

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With the books that you don't love... do you just fake it until you make it and try to be as passionate about that book as you are about ones you are really passionate about?

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I think this is the trickiest part - having a strategic oversight of the whole curriculum and allowing teachers to teach books they are passionate about!

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#PrimaryRocks Q2

Along similar lines...

How do you strike the balance between 'literary classics' and inclusive, contemporary voices in your reading offer?

This is 'the devil in the detail' part of a book spine for me - how much is determined by strategic choice from leaders and how much by passion of the teacher?

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Would books worked better if teachers had the choice and taught books they LOVED!?

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Do you think in the same year group you could have a teacher who DOES the book and a teacher that LOVES the book? (This came from a discussion with John Murray Reading Explorer)

Do the books stick to genres e.g. Y4 have to have to have contemporary fiction, myth/legend and a fantasy or is it just what the teacher fancies?
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Do your teachers have an input?

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If a teacher changes year group, does the spine change?

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Were you involved in creating your school's?

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A good reading spine should absolutely serve the community it belongs to. It connects and creates, allowing children to reach a diet of literature that may not have been readily available for them.

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So you can say what you'd like to teach in your year group?

If the teacher changes year groups, does the book spine change?

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A book spine is a core list of high-quality texts chosen for each year group to ensure progression, coverage and a love of reading across the curriculum.