Building Communities of Engaged Readers in School

The National Literacy Trust recently published an annual survey that showed just 1 in 3 children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2024. Here are some suggestions about how you can help to create engaged readers and encourage reading for pleasure in your school community.

Show Enthusiasm for Reading

Showing your enthusiasm for reading can influence your pupils' attitudes towards books.

• Consider reading books for the age group that you teach. Research shows that being a Reading Teacher can have a positive impact on desire to read and frequency of reading at home and at school. 

• Remember that reading does not just mean books. It can mean comics, information texts or Manga for example.

• Take the time in the school day to read aloud, read together and for pupils to read independently.

  
  

  

Build a Community of Engaged Readers

Remember that you can draw on the support of teachers, parents and volunteers.

• Share what you’re currently reading, either as part of a whole class reading display or use an email footer to share this with parents. Encourage colleagues to do this too. 

• Display staff "shelfies," or photos of teachers with their favourite books, around the school. You could even dedicate an assembly or section of your newsletter once per term and ask a few teachers to talk about their favourite books.

• If you have any parent volunteers or authors, invite them into school to chat about their favourite books. 

• Consider appointing Reading Ambassadors who can help to build this community. The Reading Ambassadors could be pupils who read to younger pupils, or support or run book clubs. Or they could recommend books to other pupils. 

• PageTicker can help you to create this community.

  
  

Connect with the Wider Reading Community

• Consider joining author events that are sometimes streamed online. 

• If you have the budget, look out for local book events or talks. Some run specific events for schools. Authorfy is another alternative to this, where authors talk about their books, inspiration and answer commonly asked questions.

  
  

When building a community of engaged readers in school, it is a collaborative effort. A teacher can showcase what reading for pleasure looks like. However, within the school community there will be other parents, teachers, authors and volunteers who can also support you with developing a reading for pleasure culture.