CLPE: The Power of Reading at Alfreton Park
At Alfreton Park, we are proud to use CLPE’s Power of Reading programme as the foundation of our English curriculum. This nationally recognised and evidence-based approach supports our aim to foster a love of reading and writing across the school.
What is The Power of Reading?
Developed by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), The Power of Reading is a comprehensive programme that places high-quality children’s literature at the heart of English teaching. It uses carefully chosen texts alongside engaging teaching sequences to improve reading comprehension, deepen vocabulary, and enhance writing outcomes.
Each unit focuses on a quality book and combines a range of creative and meaningful activities—including drama, art, discussion, and writing in different forms—to help children connect with and understand the text deeply.
Why We Use
As a special school, we are committed to delivering a curriculum that is accessible, inclusive, and engaging for all our pupils. The Power of Reading is particularly well-suited to our setting for several important reasons:
- Rich, Multi-Sensory Experiences: Many of the activities in Power of Reading are visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, and interactive, helping to meet a range of sensory needs and learning styles.
- High-Quality, Diverse Texts: The texts chosen include a wide range of stories, cultures, and perspectives, allowing all pupils to see themselves in what they read while exploring the wider world.
- Depth Over Breadth: By spending longer on fewer texts, we can explore themes, characters, and ideas in more depth—something that greatly benefits learners who need additional processing time or who thrive on repetition and routine.
- Supports Emotional Literacy: Many of the books used encourage reflection on emotions, relationships, and resilience. This aligns closely with our whole-school focus on social and emotional development.
- Language and Vocabulary Enrichment: Carefully structured teaching sequences build vocabulary and comprehension, which is vital for our pupils, many of whom have speech, language, and communication needs.
- Encourages a Love of Reading: The creative, story-led approach helps foster intrinsic motivation to read, making books a source of joy rather than pressure.
How It Fits into Our Curriculum
We adapt the Power of Reading resources to suit our pupils’ individual needs and learning styles. Our teachers tailor each unit to be developmentally appropriate, using strategies like visual supports, simplified texts, and alternative communication methods where necessary.
By using The Power of Reading, we are ensuring that all pupils have access to a broad, balanced, and stimulating English curriculum that is rooted in rich storytelling and purposeful learning.