It has been an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to meet with such passionate, enthusiastic and determined educators to discuss reading for pleasure pedagogy and share book recommendations. We have members working on examples of practice including: using sensory stories to encourage reading for pleasure in pupils with complex needs, using a city-wide event to encourage reading communities within and across schools, and supporting members of staff to gain an awareness of a wider range of children’s literature. Having the time each term to discuss the evidence-based research and examples of practice already uploaded on the site has meant that we are able to further develop and hone our reading for pleasure practice. We have noticed the impact that this work is having not only in our own classrooms but more widely across settings!
The teachers shared practice groups have been great; a real celebration of getting children reading and talking about books. The time to share and explore old favourites and new books has felt inspiring. We've had the chance to rediscover things like; poetry, what suits different readers. We looked at what's being celebrated by other teachers around the country. We have been able to extend our own knowledge of children's books by sharing our findings. We have discussed; poetry, new authors; what's worked well, and how to promote reading in new ways across a whole school, as well as in individual classes. Everyone has shared their ideas of how they have engaged readers of different ages, and also how to promote a whole school approach to reading. For example, having books read by teachers to their classes on a daily basis and not just as a tag on at the end of the day can make a huge difference.
For the full update on their activities please download the document.
