Reading Connects Reading Connects

supports schools in building whole-school reading communities.

www.readingconnects.org.uk

The power of reading for pleasure

‘… finding ways to engage students in reading may be one of the most effective ways to leverage social change.’ ‘Being more enthusiastic about reading and a frequent reader was more of an advantage, on its own, than having well educated parents in good jobs.’

Reading for Change, OECD, 2002

www.readingconnects.org.uk

www.readingconnects.org.uk

The Reading Connects approach promotes….

• positioning reading for pleasure at the heart of the school’s policy agenda • involving all members of staff • promoting a wide range of reading materials • giving pupils a role in planning and delivering activity • learning from and sharing good practice with the Reading Connects network www.readingconnects.org.uk

www.readingconnects.org.uk

The Reading Connects website offers….

Practical tried-and-tested ideas Resources Research and statistics Networking opportunities – locally and nationally Inspiring case studies www.readingconnects.org.uk

Advantages of signing up to Reading Connects

• National recognition - the right to call yourself a Reading Connects school with supporting certificate and logo • A copy of the Reading Connects handbook and Family Involvement Toolkit, Enjoying Reading booklet and access to your own Reading Connects blog • Networking opportunities: facility to search LAs for Reading Connects organisations, Reading Connects activity and events www.readingconnects.org.uk

The Reading Connects audit

Area of focus Developing Whole-school strategy Whole-staff engagement Cross-curricular links School library Pupil involvement Establishing Enhancing www.readingconnects.org.uk

What schools say about the audit

“The audit process was simple, easy to manage and acknowledged what we were already doing. So many awards are paper-chasing, time-consuming mechanisms that can actually prevent a school from doing what it’s meant to be doing – not so Reading Connects.” www.readingconnects.org.uk

Building a whole-school reading community involves developing the following key areas:

• Whole-staff involvement • Family involvement • Community links • Visible reading promotions • The school library as a hub • Reading events and groups • Embedding reading for pleasure across the curriculum • Integrating reading for pleasure into transition units • Provision for special interest groups www.readingconnects.org.uk

Recognising family engagement with reading as a priority

Parents are a child’s first educator and have the greatest influence on their child’s educational development. This important fact is borne out by a wide range of research that can be summed up by the following conclusion: “Parental involvement in their child’s reading has been found to be the most important determinant of language and emergent literacy.” - Bus, van Jzendoorn and Pellegrini, 1995 www.readingconnects.org.uk

NLT reading survey of over 8000 pupils

• Pupils felt that it was the responsibility of home and school to encourage them to read • Almost half the pupils never or almost never talked about reading with their family.

• 25% of pupils never saw their father read www.readingconnects.org.uk

The Reading Connects family involvement toolkit

Supporting schools in reaching out to their pupils’ families and encouraging them to make their homes reading homes.

www.readingconnects.org.uk

If we work together, our combined expertise and enthusiasm could make every home a reading home and every child a reader.

www.readingconnects.org.uk