Happy National Year of Reading – Our Fifth One at Elmhurst!
Earlier this week, the government and the National Literacy Trust launched the National Year of Reading, to tackle a “worrying decline in reading for pleasure among children and young people”, The Guardian noted.
Arriving at Elmhurst almost five years ago, I brought with me an enthusiasm and passion for reading and sought to share it. Despite being a Maths teacher for many years, I have always believed that reading holds the key to unlocking learning potential and supporting personal growth. As a result, the very first place we looked to refresh post-lockdown was the school’s library – a space packed with books but a little unloved. With volunteers aplenty, we set about recataloging and reorganising our book stock to pave the way for new titles and new furniture.
We now enjoy an inviting, accessible space that is open for children at lunchtimes and features in class time too. Recognising the temptation of short reads in the form of non-fiction magazines and books, we largely removed them. Our ‘Railway Library’ focusses on fiction but with a vast variety. The non-fiction works are housed in their own library, an ‘eerie’ full of facts for exploration as needed. Navigating reading choice in the library is supported by our reading scheme and all pupils have a clear zone of proximal development (ZPD) and they choose books in that range. Quizzing on completion ensures pupils are engaged by their choices and enables parents and teachers to keep track of successes and development.
The fresh space brought interest and enthusiasm from the children and parents, and initiatives like regular book fairs at school and reading weeks have capitalised on that over the years. Moreover, a relentless focus on reading, through lessons as well as our recognition assemblies, has built kudos for reading achievement. We boast a number of ‘word millionaires’ in school and award special badges to recognise their achievement.
It’s good to see that the Government and National Literacy Trust are getting on board, and we should ensure we enjoy the high-profile support the year of reading offers. If you are supporting your child at home, look no further than the nearest book to share. Books are everything – knowledge, experience, escapism, opinion, friendship, wisdom – and enable so much.
