“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers.” – Charles W. Eliot

“I had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the fact that I had a chance to read a lot.” – Bill Gates

As a staff team, we are really enthusiastic about literature. Alongside our reading spine (a variety of different texts with progressive complexity that the children will access throughout their time at Oswald’s), we wanted to instil the love of reading into our pupils as well. With this in mind, we created our ‘100 books to read at Oswald’s’ that children can access to read for enjoyment. Our 100 books are a purposefully selected collection to take the reader on a journey, from sharing picture books, to sharing a range of chapter books that gradually expose the reader to beautifully crafted storylines with evermore intriguing and challenging themes. Some books also fit with the year group’s history, geography and science topics.

In Summer 2023, we shared our vision with parent/carers for ‘100 books to read at Oswald’s’ and were delighted by the support from our close parent/carer community. Our community donated all 100 books and these now take pride of place in the centre of our school – truly putting reading at the heart of Oswald’s. It is lovely to see children of all ages sharing texts and diving into an unfamiliar text. Thank you for all your support – your donations have made our reading provision even more special!

Our ‘100 books at Oswald’s’ can be found below: