Minimum and maximum entitlements: literature at Key Stage 2

How far does the difference between a child's minimum reading entitlement (“I can read different types of text for different purposes – and I've got level 4 to prove it”) and maximum entitlement (“I recognise the power of literature and want to read it for the rest of my life”) encapsulate a tension present in many primary classrooms? In England, literature (poetry, narrative, plays) is taught as part of the National Literacy Strategy and a child's knowledge of how it works may be assessed if literary texts are included in the end of Key Stage 2 reading test. The requirements of the Strategy and especially the reading test may well impact on the maximum entitlement of a child to become a reader for life. This article explores some of the dangers which result from viewing the minimum entitlement as the maximum being aimed at in the classroom.