WELL READ

We speak to three subject experts about how they encourage pupils to embrace the written word

Q Given we live in a world of technologyfull of streaming and gaming - how do you aim to encourage your pupils to read?

A We’ve introduced a reading dog (Indie) and this has been a great success with our younger children. It has increased the confidence of reluctant readers by having a non-judgemental audience. The children are purely reading for pleasure with no one pointing out mistakes or questioning them on the text. As they became more confident, we’ve seen their reading become more animated with more expression – they can’t wait to go and read now! We also have class time specifically to enjoy sharing a book together and a specific library time where the children go and choose books that they can then take home and share with parents and siblings.

Q Do the children love special events?

A We do several initiatives and activities each year which bring books to life and spark imagination. We have a whole school project around a single book, for example this year we used the ‘The Dot’ by Peter Reynolds. All age groups from nursery upwards completed mini projects which were then shared with the rest of the school in an assembly. These encompassed all areas of the curriculum including maths challenges and discussions that led to children sharing their rainbow moments. This World Book Day the children were challenged to create their own ‘Book in a Box’ where they created threedimensional scenes or settings from a book.

Q What does the rest of the school year hold in store for you?

A As the better weather is setting in, we are able to get out more to our woodland area for Forest School Sessions. This is a fantastic space where children can explore and be creative. Being in this natural space helps the children when it comes to their writing too, for example Year 1 acted out part of Little Red Riding Hood, filmed it then used it back in the classroom to write their own settings.

RACHEL CAPPER, HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL, THE MOUNT SCHOOL YORK mountschoolyork.co.uk

Q Does your school normally mark World Book Day?

A At The Mount School we celebrate World Book Day every year. In Junior School, the children were invited to dress up as their favourite characters from Matilda to Zog, the classrooms were filled with an assortment of recognisable faces from the children’s most loved stories. In the Senior School, sta and pupils displayed posters detailing the books they are currently reading and took part in a book swap during their lunch.

Our junior pupils not only have access to our dedicated primary library, but also the whole school library. It is a wonderfully traditional part of the school steeped in history, it lends itself well to a space where girls can get lost in a book and let their imaginations wander.

Q How do you encourage your pupils to read?

A Technology is a useful tool particularly in education; however, the importance of reading for children cannot be underestimated. We know that reading for pleasure can benefit a child’s education, social and cognitive development, their wellbeing, and their mental health. What is more rewarding is that our pupils also see the benefits of reading and want to share their love of literature.

Earlier this year, three Year 6 pupils hosted their own reading competition, ‘The Big Read Scheme’. The competition was constructed entirely by the girls themselves, with them taking into consideration everything from promotion to the logistics of the competition, and the winning prize. They took great care to ensure the competition was accessible to all. Agnes, one of the organisers, commented: “I thought it was good to include everyone from Year 6 right down the little ones in Pre-School. Each year had di erent competitions to complete, 10 pages for the little ones, 20 pages for Year 2 and so on.”

CHRISTEPHER HALD, HEAD OF INFANT JUNIOR SCHOOL, SHEFFIELD GIRLS’ GDST she eldhighschool.org.uk

Q Does your school normally mark World Book Day each year?

A Yes we do – usually it is the typical ‘dress up as your favourite character from a book’ day, however we also tend to have some very creative activities or themes connected to our celebration of WBD. We have, in the past, focused on BAME authors celebrating the written and spoken word, using recorded readings from the authors themselves, and having our pupils perform their favourite passages or parts of the book within their class group. Women authors or stories with girls and women as the central character always feature strongly of course. We also have activities such as poster competitions and design a book cover. A particular favourite recently was the challenge to dress a potato as a character from your favourite book! Our School Librarian, Miss Russell, usually hosts a book fair during the week of World Book Day.

Q What do the children enjoy most about these events?

A The opportunity to share their reading experiences and hear about what their friends are reading is such a fantastic way to develop our pupils’ enthusiasm for books. They come away from World Book Day fizzing with excitement about what they want to read next.

Reading is central in our creative curriculum, with class novels, poetry and playscripts used to explore language, story and structure connected to the creative themes. Our pupils enjoy weekly sessions in our bright, colourful and well-stocked library, overseen by our Infant and Junior Librarian. We certainly don’t have a silent library, and the animated chatter and conversations about good reads demonstrates the passion our pupils have for their favourite books and authors.

Q How important do you think reading awareness days are?

A Instilling a love of reading is a vital element of educational development, and the earlier the better. Reading awareness days are a fantastic way to celebrate our pupils’ genuine love of reading. Whilst we recognise that not everyone will turn into a dedicated ‘bookworm’ the mechanics of reading: phonics, decoding, recognition and reading with understanding – that is using inference, empathy, analysing, evaluating – are essential foundations for learning in every subject.