We’re a Champion School!

At Paxton Academy reading is woven into our DNA. From the moment children arrive at our school we do everything we can to nurture a love of reading – a skill that opens doors to enjoyment and opportunities for life.

That’s why we’re proud to announce that we have been selected to be a Little Wandle Champion School.

This milestone achievement means that we are part of a growing network of Little Wandle member schools who have met their 16 Standards of Excellence in the teaching of early reading and phonics. As a Champion School we will now share best practice and help other Little Wandle members to get the best outcomes for children in their schools and further develop their Reading for Pleasure cultures.

Achieving Little Wandle Champion School status is validation of our school-wide commitment to reading. It recognises the importance we place on engaging all children in an exciting reading journey through the careful selection of representative texts which allow them to be seen as they learn to read. We’re really pleased that the Big Cat for Little Wandle decodable books include a diverse range of authors and illustrators creating children’s first reading books on a broad range of topics.

The impact of Little Wandle at Paxton:

• Research-backed teaching of phonics skills means children’s learning stays in their long-term memory and they develop a strong literacy foundation that they can build on for life.
• Carefully planned lesson content means that all children can become confident, fluent readers who understand and enjoy what they are reading.
• Children leave Paxton in Year 6 well-equipped to meet the demands of secondary school learning.

‘The school lives and breathes reading. Making sure that all pupils become fluent and enthusiastic readers is a clear strength to leaders’ work.’  (Ofsted report)