Last week the DfE announced the National Year of Reading 2026, a campaign designed to address the decline in reading amongst children, young people and adults by ‘engaging new audiences, encouraging reading for pleasure and changing the nation’s reading culture’.
Humans are not born with an inherent ability to read;
like language, it is very much a learned process. If you want to learn how to
play a musical instrument, you purchase said item, take lessons and practice to
improve. Sometimes lessons aren’t needed to learn how to do something – many
children learn to swim or ride a bike without formal instruction. However,
there are certain factors that need to be present for these things to happen –
you need that musical instrument, a body of water or a bike. It’s the same with
reading. As a school librarian, avid
reader and public library user, I welcome any campaigns, initiatives or events
that promote reading but this cultural change will not happen without specific
circumstances in place and can be improved by adding a few extra.
1.
Books
It’s obvious that if you want children to read, they’re
going to need books but I’m convinced that those who make decisions about
public and school libraries think they just magically appear! Reading starts
before children enter the formal education system which is where a well-stocked
public library comes in. If you don’t have access to one, then the alternative
is buying books (expensive) or charity shops (limited selection). Once children
start school – and start learning to read – they need a wide variety of books to
develop those skills and encourage them to practice; different genres and
formats, fiction books to spark their imagination and information books to
explore interests.
Most public libraries don’t have the range to fulfil
these needs – and this is where school libraries are essential. Their
collections are curated for their specific school communities, school
librarians know the reading levels of their students, their interests, the
curriculum. If there’s no local public library – or one that just caters for a
small demographic of its community and doesn’t have the funding to keep its
stock up-to-date and relevant – and no school library, where are children and
young people meant to find the books they want and need to learn to read and
practice those skills?
Books cost money and libraries – both school and public – need adequate
funding to maintain an up-to-date, appealing and relevant collection.
2.
Access
You can have the most amazing book collection but it will
sit gathering dust if it can’t be accessed. For public libraries this means an
array of opening times including a late-night opening. In theory, school
libraries are accessible throughout the day but there can be barriers in place
that prevent this. The library may only be open for restricted hours or it may
be used for lessons and meetings effectively closing it to the rest of the
community. Often the only free time students have is during break and lunch. In
many schools this is just 20 or 25 minutes during which time they need to queue
up to get (and eat) food, perhaps swap books from their lockers which are over
at the other side of the school or talk to a staff member before their next
lesson.
School libraries tend to be busy places during breaks – I
regularly had 90+ students in mine – but, whilst some were reading, that wasn’t
the main focus of breaktime activities. Students would be browsing shelves,
looking for resources for homework, doing work, playing board games, drawing,
taking 10 minutes or so to recharge before their next lesson. If you know what
you like to read, then a quick ten minutes in the library is probably long enough
to find your next book but if you struggle with selecting something, you need
longer. This is where library lessons are essential. They allow students to
peruse the stock, to discuss their requirements with the librarian and get
recommendations from their peers. How many people walk into a bookshop, go
immediate to one book and buy it? Most browse the shelves, deliberating over
what they’re going to purchase. It’s the same for libraries.
Access to
books is an essential element for reading – make sure your library is open when
people can use it.
3.
Time
Twenty-four hours in a day, 365 (sometimes 366) days in a
year. That hasn’t changed and yet, in today’s fast-paced world, there never
seems to be enough time – especially when it comes to reading. One of the main
culprits, particularly for young people, is social media; Ofcom research found that children aged 8 – 14 spend an
average of almost 3 hours a day online. Then there are all the other distractions:
video games, binge-watching TV series, hobbies and chilling with friends –
which is hugely important for social development and wellbeing. But if we want
children and young people to read more, they need time to do it. Yes, you could
argue that should read instead of scrolling through TikTok but let’s be
realistic – that’s unlikely to happen without pressure and that’s the last
thing you want. Force reading on them and you risk turning it into a chore
rather than a pleasure.
So how do you ensure reading happens in their busy lives?
The answer is to build it into their routines. Schools can play a role by
setting aside dedicated time for reading, such as during tutor time or in
library lessons. Sure, some students will complain but most will settle down,
especially if they’re given free choice over what to read. It doesn’t have to
be a fiction book; magazines, comics or non-fiction are just as valid as are
e-books. The key is to encourage reading for pleasure, not to enforce a specific
type of reading.
If we want
children and young people to be readers, we need to give them time and space to
do it.
4.
Role Models
The above three factors are vital for facilitating
reading for pleasure but a couple of others will help: role models and
guidance. Children and young people naturally look to role models for cues on
how to behave. They copy language, clothes, habits and activities – including
reading. That’s why campaigns such as the Marcus Rashford Book Club (launched
in 2023 by the National Literacy Trust) can make such an impact. When a
high-profile figure promotes reading, it sends a powerful message although be
mindful that popular celebrities change quickly and can easily fall out of favour.
But you don’t have to be a celebrity or influencer to be
a reading role model. In fact, it’s just as important for children and young
people to see reading modelled by the people they interact with every day.
School librarians are great at organising these types of promotions within
their schools. For example, initiatives where staff recommend their current
reads via posters around the school or competitions where students must match
staff to their favourite books. This helps students understand that reading
isn’t just the remit of the English department – it’s for everyone.
Parents and carers can play a crucial role too. For
younger children, reading aloud together is one of the best ways to develop a
love of stories and build early literacy skills. As children get older,
families can still support reading: by helping plan it into daily life; setting
aside a screen-free quiet time the evening; making regular library visits;
showing interest in what their children are reading (and perhaps reading the
same book to chat about it); or simply letting children see them reading for
pleasure. The reality, though, is that many parents don’t get the chance to
model this. After work or the school run, they’re too busy cooking dinner,
doing household chores or supervising homework. Reading – for them – tends to
happen right before bed when the children are already asleep. If we want to
nurture young readers, we need to make reading visible.
Children and
young people are far more likely to read if they see the adults around them
doing the same.
5.
Guidance
This last factor is where the school librarian excels. If
you’re looking for advice on which plants to buy for your garden, you’d ask
someone at a garden centre. If you need the right paint for a specific project,
you’d consult staff in a DIY store. In the same way, if you want guidance on
books – whether it’s recommendations for a particular age group, suggestions to
tempt reluctant readers, what to read next or advice on what’s popular, you
should ask a librarian. Books are the tools of their trade! School librarians
get to know students individually (especially if they have regular library
lessons), helping them find books that match their interests, reading level and
mood; the right book at the right time builds positive reading experiences.
Librarians create a welcoming library space, free from
pressure or judgement, encouraging students to explore reading in their own
time. Personal reading should be a meandering journey, full of surprises. It’s
not a staircase where you start with Biff and Chip and end up with War and
Peace. If you’re under a lot of stress and pressure and want to go back to a
favourite comfort read, you should be able to do so without any comments about
it not being ‘challenging enough’. Likewise, if a student develops an interest
in rivers they should feel free to go down a tributary about floodplains and
ox-bow lakes (geography was my favourite subject at school!). The library space
also encompasses displays, reading lists, events and activities, all designed
to make reading accessible, fun and a social, inclusive, everyday activity. As
the ultimate reading role model, school librarians can support staff as well as
parents and carers, providing strategies for encouraging reading in the
classroom and at home.
By
providing expert guidance, school librarians empower students to discover the
pleasure of reading on their own terms.
