Presentation on the importance of reading for pleasure written for Senior Management

1. “ Kids need reading stamina” Developing a reading culture at Nicholas Chamberlaine Technology College

2. Why read ? Why books ?

4. The ability to read is one of the strongest predictors of future success. Although reading can be taught in a classroom, it must be practised . This slide and next: Are librarians really worth it? Available online at: http://www.ccsd.net/schools/watson/libraryresearch.html

5. When students voluntarily read, they practise and enforce what is taught in the classroom. Michael Jordan can teach you to how to throw the perfect foul line shot, but if you don't ever practise the skill, his instruction is worthless.

6. OECD “Reading for Change” 2002 found that “ Being more enthusiastic about reading and a frequent reader was more of an advantage, on its own, than having well-educated parents in good jobs”

7. “ Finding ways to engage students in reading may be one of the most effective ways to leverage social change." OECD (2002). Reading For Change: Results from PISA 2000, published by the Organisation For Economic Co-operation and Development.

8. Creativity and imagination Cultural heritage Language development Emotional development Increased self-esteem Sustained concentration Reading for pleasure =

9. “ There is a strong association between the amount of reading for pleasure children reported and their reading achievement.” Twist, L., Schagen, I. and Hodgson, C. (2007). Readers and Reading: National Report for England 2006 . Slough: NFER

10. … doesn’t always have to be from books Reading….

11. MSN Bebo and Facebook Websites Magazines and comics Newspapers E-books TXT messages … are all forms of reading!

12. Why books ?

13. “ Books rule! You don’t have pictures to tell you how to imagine something, you can do it yourself! Books can do what no machines can, and probably never will. For example, time travel and they can take you to other dimensions! They are somewhere to go when you just want to escape the real world!” Dani, 13

16. Challenges at NCTC

18. “ A significant number of boys would rather chew off their own right leg than confess to enjoying reading and writing.” Alan Gibbons

19. Lack of a reading culture amongst some of our intake Declining book issues from KS3 to KS5 Reluctance to reading, bordering on hostility Time pressures: personal, pastoral and curricular

20. What does this mean? Impact on all subjects and exam courses Problems with concentration and attention span Lack of engagement with culture Stalling of reading & literacy development

21. Lack of imagination and ideas

22. Year 7 Reading Profile 2005-2006 25 Other: 20% 55 18% 26 23% 29 Important 38% 102 41% 58 34% 44 Better things to do 17% 46 15% 21 20% 25 Slow 31% 83 27% 38 35% 45 Interesting 35% 95 38% 54 32% 41 Boring 7% 20 8% 11 7% 9 Hard work 20% 53 10% 15 30% 38 Love it 39% 105 38% 54 40% 51 Easy What do you think about reading? Q1 % Totals % Boys % Girls All Class:

25. “ My general experience of dyslexic students who have difficulty reading is that the more they read the better they get. … Clearly once a dyslexic always a dyslexic, but practise makes (closer to) perfect. So the more practise of reading for pleasure the better.” Martin Truckle, NCTC SENCO

26. We want to raise achievement at NCTC

27. “ The research evidence suggests that encouraging reading for pleasure could be a way of contributing towards raising educational standards and combating social exclusion .” Clark, C and Akerman, R (2006). Social inclusion and reading: an exploration. National Literacy Trust

29. So what could we do?

30. … about reading and children’s literature. Students need to be surrounded by books… … with staff who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable …

31. Extra- curricular activities Pastoral time Yr 7 Reading Programme Atmosphere Staff knowledge & expertise High quality resources LRC support for reading

34. We need time for reading…

35. “… time spent reading independently interacts with students’ reading ability and has a positive impact on certain components of reading achievement.” Samuels, S and Wu, Y (2003). How the amount of time spent on independent reading affects reading achievement: A response to the national reading panel