Research School Network: Turning the page: Nurturing a love of reading in small schools There is an ever growing body of evidence which illustrates the importance of reading for pleasure for educational purposes

Reading for Pleasure: A Research Review National Literacy Trust (Clark and Rumold, 2006).

Literacy is the cornerstone of education, and its development can shape a child’s entire academic journey. Reading, especially for some of our children who have limited access to books at home, not only enhances vocabulary and critical thinking skills but also fosters empathy, creativity and a lifelong thirst for knowledge.

Fostering a love of reading in small schools can come with its own unique challenges, such as having space for a library. But, as we discover from the team at Settrington All Saints’ Church of England Primary School, it also offers inspiring opportunities. So how are the team at Settrington nurturing a love of reading, and what can we learn from their approach?

Unlocking the Power of Reading in Small Schools

As, Ellie Johnson, the Literacy Lead at Settrington, explains, ​“reading is at the heart of everything we do, and our pupils are always buzzing with excitement when it is ​‘Library Morning’ ”. It is clear that at Settrington, staff and children alike await the arrival of the mobile library; an oasis of literature, filled to the rafters with a treasure trove of books.

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) highlights the importance of promoting reading for pleasure in its Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1 Guidance Report stating;

​‘introducing children to a range of texts and reading experiences can support the development of pupils’ reading comprehension by extending both their knowledge [and] their skills.’ (Higgins et al., 2016, p17)

Staff at Settrington know access to a diverse range of high quality is crucial- and the visiting library provides just that. But it goes beyond just a diverse range of texts.

Reading Together and Growing Together: Nurturing Reading for Pleasure Through Peer Support

At Settrington, every child and teacher belong to one of four houses in order to foster a real sense of community and in this instance, to boost literacy through collaborative reading. Each house of mixed year groups, from Reception to Year 6,visit the mobile library, with older pupils modelling how to pick a ​‘good’ text ensuring younger pupils engage with a diverse range of genres and writers; it’s a joy to witness how talking about stories, characters and ideas makes reading a communal and exciting experience for all at Settrington.

As Ellie confirms, ​“peer reading makes reading a social and enjoyable experience. Our children look forward to reading with a friend or an older ​‘buddy’ from another year group, it boosts motivation and is helping to cultivate a lifelong love of reading.” This again chimes with the guidance from the Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1 Guidance Report;

‘[the] discussion of texts provides rich opportunities for language development [with] the ultimate aim [being] that children can then make and discuss inferences when reading with peers, creating a successful and stimulating environment for learning through, and about, language and communication’.

As our collaborative reading includes Early Years, KS1 and KS2, it was important for us to look for overlaps within the EEF recommendations so we could ensure we are supporting all children.

This KS1 recommendation is also reiterated in the Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2: Guidance Report:

​‘reading to pupils and discussing books also remains crucial for this age group… Motivation and engagement are important for pupils’ progress in literacy. By creating a culture that puts reading and text discussions at the heart of the school day, teachers can develop positive attitudes to reading among their pupils, supporting language and literacy development’. (Bilton and Duff, 2021, p15)

And further supports our younger children in developing their communication and language, supporting part of a broad approach discussed in Preparing for Literacy Improving Communication, Language and Literacy in the Early Years Guidance Report:

​‘A wide range of activities can be used to develop communication and language including shared reading (Recommendation 2), storytelling, and explicitly extending children’s vocabulary.1 These activities should be embedded within a curriculum of rich and varied experiences.’ (EEF, 2018, p8)

Looking Ahead-The Next Chapter

It is clear that by creating a supportive, joyful and nurturing environments for pupils, staff at Settrington are opening the door to lifelong adventures found in the pages of books. There has been a noticeable increase in reading engagement following library visits, with pupils eagerly taking books home, delighted to have discovered authors and genres they might never have encountered otherwise. However, this is just part of the story, for as the Head Teacher, Caryl Shephard, reminds me, ​“We’ve had so many positive outcomes so far, but our reading for pleasure journey is far from over.” At Settrington, the team continue to plan and develop the next steps, with reading houses, book buddies and exciting adventures in the library remaining a core component of their literacy strategy.

Reference list

Bilton, C. and Duff, A., 2021. Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2. Guidance Report. Education Endowment Foundation.
Clark, C. and Rumbold, K., 2006. Reading for Pleasure: A Research Overview. National Literacy Trust.
Education Endowment Foundation, 2018. Preparing for literacy: Improving communication, Language and literacy in the early years.
Higgins, S., Henderson, P., Martell, T., Sharples, J. and Waugh, D., 2016. Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1: Guidance Report.
Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C. and Torgesen, J. (2010) ​‘Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3^rd Grade: A Practice Guide’
(NCEE 2010 – 4038), Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.