Stirling TRG – Update from Carol Ann Neil
Our brand-new Stirling OU TRG is up & running! Meetings have been full of reading for pleasure enthusiasm, vibrancy and support from each and every member. We have a shared passion for promoting RfP in the primary classroom. Our focus on improving outcomes for learners is supported by rich collaboration, discussion and a commitment to […]
Burley Woodhead English Hub TRG – Update from Sarah Scott
The Burley Woodhead English Hub TRG loves to make text recommendations. At each meeting, we share our favourite texts focusing on a different genre each time but there are so many to remember! We use our Padlet platform to record these recommendations so we can easily refer back to these tempting texts. We can respond […]
OU RfP Newsletter Live! 21st February
We are delighted to have hosted another successful OU RfP Newsletter Live, a rapid-fire virtual event dedicated to the latest in Reading for Pleasure. With Professor Teresa Cremin hosting, this virtual event covered a range of useful topics to help you enrich your practice and nurture your pupils’ love of reading. Top Texts – the best […]
Nottingham TRG – Update from Julie Doyle & Amy Greatrex
At our recent meeting, the Nottingham TRG members shared their graphic novel recommendations for all year groups. This led to a reflective discussion about some of our children bringing in their graphic novels from home to read at playtimes, in class and to show their friends. We decided the children are leading us to notice […]
University of Chichester TRG – Update from Ruth Clark
It was dark and rainy night in January when the University of Chichester TRG met to discuss Reading for Pleasure Pedagogy, but our regular members turned up with lots of books, enthusiasm and smiles. We met in the Classroom Resources teaching collection in the University library which is an inspiring place to talk about our reading […]
Sheffield & Rotherham TRG – Update from Steve Smith
We recently had our third meeting with teachers attending in person and via Zoom. It was great to see everyone and to hear about what has been happening in their schools to develop reading for pleasure. We brought and shared some graphic novels and talked about what we’ve been reading to our classes and for ourselves. We have […]
Swindon & Wiltshire TRG – Update from Rowena Lucas
Swindon and Wiltshire TRG is thrilled to be running for a second year and to welcome back new and previous members to our group! Some of our members are also involved in the UKLA Teacher Book Awards this year so we are very busy! In the first term, we shared ‘new and bold’ as well as ‘old but gold’ books and […]
Worcester TRG – Update from Claire Martin & Helen Mackinnon
In our Worcester TRG, we loved looking at the A-Z of authors in the first term. This actually got quite competitive between members! Our group has been very lucky to have Sharon Lannie from the University of Worcester join us for our meetings. She brings a wealth of knowledge of books. At the end of term, we […]
United Learning TRG: Update by Karen Tulloch
Our TRG comprises primary school teachers and a principal, TAs, English Leads, secondary school librarians, secondary school teachers, independent booksellers, Key Stage Leads..… basically, a stellar group of RfP enthusiasts and advocates! We come from different corners of the country remotely via Teams. The wealth of expertise from different experiences and settings is a real […]
Reading: A Child’s Superpower
Thank you to so many of you who attended the Book Week NI event on Tuesday, 18 October – Reading: A Child’s Superpower. If you missed Professor Teresa Cremin sharing her expert knowledge on the benefits of reading in childhood, you can watch the replay using the link below. This would also be a great […]
South Lanarkshire Secondary TRG: an update from Susan Brownlie and Michael Wilkie
Our 22-23 members enjoyed a discussion around Teresa Cremin’s ‘Reading Communities’ article to start off our second session. It was encouraging to see how quickly participants have started to think about their individual areas of research having reviewed their own practice. Some useful ‘what has worked for us’ tips shared too across the group and, to […]
Ilsham English Hub TRG: an update from Danni Cooke
We had a great start to our first TRG on Wednesday after school with 35 people signed up and eager to begin! We discussed all the things we wanted to get from being part of the TRG and the biggest thing that emerged at the moment was continually developing our subject knowledge so we can […]
Supporting children to develop STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) skills
Lisa Moss and Dr Thomas Bernard co-founders of children’s STEM focussed publishing company QuestFriendz discuss how important early STEM learning is for young children.
Flying High English Hub TRG: an update from Carl Pattison
Reading the planet YLG Conference- September 2022 I was fortunate enough to win a place at the wonderful YLG Conference in Sheffield and I want to start this piece by thanking the Open University for this opportunity. I wasn’t able to attend the full event but I certainly made the most of the evening and […]
Digital Book Awards 2022: Now open!
The Children’s Digital Book Award is the only award focused on children’s reading on screen and judged by teachers. It recognises innovation, creativity and excellence in digital book publishing.
Children’s Literature and Social Justice
This article written by Alyson Simpson and Teresa Cremin, argues that literacy is core to more equitable literacy development. As there is little evidence that recent policy directives have positioned literacy in ways that promote social equity, they argue teachers have an ethical responsibility to redress this through their teaching. Responsible Reading: Children’s Literature and […]
OU/UKLA Reading for Pleasure Conference: Reading Teachers
Reading Teachers – capital R, capital T – are not just school based teachers of reading. Nor are they simply teachers who read. Reading Teachers are enhanced professionals and reading role models who reflect upon the relationship between being a reader and a teacher of reading, adjusting their work to make the experience of reading […]
OU Reading Schools Programme 2022-2023
Do you want to: Improve children’s reading attainment? Enhance children’s reading for pleasure and wellbeing? Strengthen the leadership of reading? Develop staff knowledge and practice to motivate all children? Enrich home-school relationships around reading? ‘Since engaging with the research and working with The OU we have seen a transformation in our reading culture.’ English Hub […]
Student Teachers as Readers: The ITE responsibility
This blog, by UKLA President Roger Macdonald, is the third in a series arising from the OU Student Teachers as Readers (STaRs) pilot research into their experiences and identities as readers and their views about supporting children as readers. It reveals cause for concern and the need for support and knowledge expansion in Initial Teacher […]
OU/UKLA Reading for Pleasure Conference: The Thread That Connects
We were delighted to host the Reading for Pleasure: The Thread That Connects conference on Saturday 18th June at The University of Cambridge Primary School. The event, which had been postponed from March 2020, was a fantastic day, drawing in children’s reading and literacy professionals from across the UK. We were joined by wonderful children’s author […]
Clippa Award 2021
CLiPPA (Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award) is the only award for published poetry for children in the UK. A Schools Shadowing Scheme is available to promote the teaching of poetry in schools. To assist schools there are teaching resources for all the shortlisted books and videos of the poets performing their poems. […]
School Library Association – The Information Book Award 2021
The Information Book Award is an annual event, in its tenth year, and is a major development for information books, being designed to support school libraries and to reinforce the importance of non-fiction whilst highlighting the high standard of resources available. Each year the shortlist in three age categories, under 7s,8-12 and 13-16, is announced […]
Southwark TRG: an update from Jonathan Rodgers
The TRG group at CLPE in London is run by Librarian Phoebe Demeger and Advisory Teacher Jonny Rodgers. It’s quite a challenge – but an enjoyable one – to suggest new texts to discuss that our incredibly passionate and well and widely read group don’t already know, and the first getting-to-know-you session had some amazing […]
Nuthall TRG: an update from Carl Pattison
The Flying High TRG kicked off with some excellent book PR: A whole host of poetry books were shared and a few of us were open and expressed that we do not usually read poetry. However, poems were shared and various recommendations were given which soon addressed that! The discussions flowed throughout the session and […]
Reading and Writing for Pleasure: Exploring systems and synergies that make a difference
The OU is research partner for the Mercers’ Company Special Initiative (2020-2023), funding six London-based programmes to develop reading and/or writing for pleasure with children and young people. This is the third blog in the series exploring the backgrounds, aims and approaches of these engaging programmes. Reading and Writing for Pleasure: Exploring systems and synergies […]
St Mary’s University South West London TRG: an update from Finola Utton
Our second session focussed on diversity in children’s literature and all our members brought a wonderful selection to book blether. Using the CLPE Reflecting Realities report as a starting point we explored key leaders in this field and how the industry is responding to the lack of diversity. Our own practice was reflected upon when […]
Blue Peter Awards 2022
Announced in a special edition of Blue Peter, the 2022 winners of The Best Story and The Best Book of Facts were voted for by hundreds of primary school children around the UK, after shortlists had been drawn up by a panel of judges.
OU RfP Newsletter LIVE! 26th April
We are delighted to have hosted another successful OU RfP Newsletter Live, a rapid-fire virtual event dedicated to the latest in Reading for Pleasure. With Professor Teresa Cremin hosting, this virtual event covered a range of useful topics to help you enrich your practice and nurture your pupils’ love of reading. Top Texts – the best […]
Rochdale TRG: an update from Clare McGreevy
Rochdale TaRs Group are all geared up for a fantastic RfP year ahead in 2022! Teresa joined us to share a wonderful picture book by David Lucas – The Robot and the Bluebird – and we discussed the huge impact of good social reading environments in classrooms. Colleagues shared the great practice going on in […]
Leyburn TRG: an update from Sarah Beveridge
Due to the current situation in schools with large numbers of staff and pupils affected, we had a much smaller Teacher’s Reading Group meeting for our third session. What we lost in numbers, we more than made up for in discussion and all felt re-energised as a result. Children seeing themselves as readers and reading […]
Geneva TRG: an update from Chris Baker
Our second meeting broadened our knowledge of picture books – we added these to our online “blether board” – a mix of old and new and reminded ourselves that they DO have a place in KS2! We reflected on schools’ book borrowing cultures: how to ensure younger readers get chances to choose books purely for […]
Gold Star Student Teacher Awards 2021
Highlighting the achievements of student teachers who are developing their RfP practice
Trafford TRG: an update from Vicki Johnson and Wendi Swann
The Trafford Primary TRG launched again in October, bringing a new cohort of teachers, headteachers and librarians together to explore the Reading for Pleasure agenda. We were delighted to use the TRG launch materials in a virtual reading conference with Joseph Coelho and Alex Quigley, where we presented to school and subject leaders about the […]
Bi-Borough TRG: an update from Angela Jenkins
It is a delight to be in our second year of facilitating a TRG in West London (Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and beyond). Our new group consists of 15 members, including class teachers, subject leaders, teaching assistants and senior leaders. It’s wonderful that a number of schools have signed-up at least 2 colleagues. Based on […]
A Comparison of Children’s Reading on Paper v Screen
This 2021 paper by Norwegian researchers examines findings across international studies that compare children’s learning outcomes with digital and paper books. It focuses on children’s story comprehension and vocabulary learning in relation to several variables. Which was most effective? Read on to find out! A Comparison of Children’s Reading on Paper Versus Screen: A Meta-Analysis […]
Blackbird Leys, Oxford TRG: An update from Matthew Courtney
Our group is a mix of primary and secondary teachers and an independent bookseller! We have enjoyed beginning to explore the OU RfP Website and related research during our virtual sessions. We have been really lucky to be joined by Tony from the Alligator’s Mouth Bookshop (Richmond), who has shared some brilliant children’s texts none of us […]