Encouraging reading for pleasure

The Government is committed to improving literacy skills for all pupils. A key part of this commitment is promoting the importance of reading for pleasure. We want teachers and school librarians to support children to enjoy reading, and enable them to read a wide range of good quality literature.
There is good evidence to suggest that young people who read for pleasure daily perform better in reading skills tests than those who never do. However, a recent survey carried out by the National Literacy Trust has indicated a decline in the amount of time children and young people spend reading for pleasure.
This section gives the evidence for why reading for pleasure is so important, and offers some case studies and practical ideas on how to promote reading in your school.

What are the benefits of reading for pleasure?

• Children who say they enjoy reading for pleasure are more likely to score well on reading assessments compared to pupils who said they enjoyed reading less
• There is some evidence to show that reading for pleasure is a more important determinant of children’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status
• It can have a positive impact on pupils’ emotional and social behaviour
• It can have a positive impact on text comprehension and grammar.

What works in improving independent reading?

• An important factor in developing reading for pleasure is providing choice - choice and interest are highly related
• Parents and the home environment are essential to the early teaching of reading and fostering a love of reading; children are more likely to continue to be readers in homes where books and reading are valued
• Reading for pleasure is strongly influenced by relationships between teachers and children, and children and families.

A report on the evidence about reading for pleasure can be downloaded from the associated resources section below.

We asked teachers and librarians for practical, innovative ideas to promote reading in school. This is what they told us.

• Engage parents by inviting them to become members of the school library, or by inviting them to workshops on how to support their child’s reading.
• Make reading visible around the school by displaying attractive posters – ‘Good reads for historians…’, ‘Want to know more about the causes of earthquakes? Try these books…’ 
• Have sections of a text placed in different corridors and areas so that pupils need to read one and find the next extract.
• Let pupils take home six books from the library over the summer holiday (one for each week). Better that the books are with the pupils than sitting on the shelves over the summer holiday!
• Recruit influential pupils to be book, author or genre ‘ambassadors’ – with an element of competition to see who can secure the widest readership.
• Try ‘Taking a chance on a book’ promotions where some books are wrapped in paper to hide their identity; this gives an air of mystery and can encourage readers to try different genres.
• Add small ‘recommendation’ cards to book displays with lively pupil or teacher comments, or try “If you like this then you’ll love…”
• Encourage other staff to use and promote the library to pupils. One school uses regular ‘literary lunches’ hosted by the librarian, where new acquisitions are shared with other members of staff.
• Take the library out of the library – set up book displays and reading corners in different parts of the school.
• Show pupils how current literature has its roots in the past, e.g. Twilight and Dracula.
• Take advantage of technology in the school – share book recommendations, extracts or reviews on the school’s intranet, screensavers and TV display screens.
• Set up book groups for pupils – encourage them to discuss books and make recommendations, or try shadowing book awards such as the Carnegie.
• Develop a subject specific ‘extension library’ to enable older pupils who may be specialising in history or economics to develop their reading repertoire whilst connecting to and making sense of their specialist areas of interest.

We asked a group of teachers and librarians how they promote wider reading of novels in their schools. This is what they told us.

English subject leaders promote wider reading of novels by:

• Reading themselves – being role models and keeping abreast of new fiction for pupils of different ages
• fostering strong links with the school library/librarian
• maintaining a calendar of literary events
• giving book tokens/books as rewards or prizes
• providing ideas for parents to promote reading at home.

School librarians promote wider reading of novels by:

• Taking the library into other areas of the school – science labs, assemblies, etc
• making the library a welcoming place – perhaps even extending it outdoors when the weather permits
• engaging with pupils as readers and getting to know their preferences, using data to find out what pupils are reading and then acting on the information
• providing attractive and eye-catching displays and book recommendations
• keeping up to date with the best new fiction for children of different ages.

Senior leaders promote wider reading of novels by:

• Making it a whole school priority
• ensuring that all teachers promote reading in their subject areas, e.g. historical novels in history
• raising the profile of the library/librarian
• reading themselves – being a role model – keeping and publishing a reading blog
• creating a reading-friendly environment.

Teachers promote wider reading of novels by:

• Reading themselves – being a role model
• dropping reading hints - leaving books on desks, talking about books and displaying books in the classroom
• engaging with pupils as readers and getting to know their preferences
• referring to whole books/literary fiction rather than just chunks in textbooks, e.g. historical novels in history
• displaying posters – ‘If you like science, you’ll love…‘ with a list of recommended literary fiction.

Former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen has put together a '20 point plan' with plenty of useful ideas on how teachers and schools can encourage children to read more widely.

A good school library service can have a significant impact on pupils’ literacy. We would like to see all schools have a well-stocked library and all secondary schools employ an information professional, but this should be a local decision, not one mandated by Government. It is up to schools to target resources appropriately according to their individual circumstances and to make their own choices about school library provision and book resourcing.

Organisations such as the School Library Association (SLA), the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), and the Society of Chief Librarians (SCL), provide a wealth of materials, training and expertise to help school libraries and librarians improve provision at a local level.

Last year’s report from the School Library Commission (chaired by Baroness Morris) also provides a range of suggestions for improvements.
If you are looking for more ideas, resources to support reading for pleasure, or book recommendations, you may find the links on this page useful.
The Department has chosen a partnership between Booktrust and the Pearson Foundation to develop and manage a national schools reading competition. This follows an open tender exercise conducted earlier this year.
The competition will aim to increase volume, range and quality of children’s reading; cultivate long-lasting positive attitudes towards reading; and encourage children to talk about and recommend books.
Designed to capture the imagination of participants, schools and parents, the competition will lead children to a wide range of quality fiction and non-fiction, while allowing them to select books individually according to their interests, tastes and ability. It will culminate in individual, school and class prizes at regional and national level.
The competition will be tested and developed over the course of the summer and is expected to launch in the academic year 2012/13 for pupils in Year 5 and Year 6. It will expand to include more pupils in future years.
For further details or to express an interest in taking part in the reading competition, please contact Booktrust or the Pearson Foundation directly.
Resource from: http://www.education.gov.uk/