Building whole-school reading communities - National Literacy Trust

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4 How do I run Reading Connects in my school? Once you have signed up to Reading Connects, it is up to you how you develop your reading culture. We have no special requirements or criteria for you to fulfil, but can offer tools and support as you progress. All we ask is that you share your ideas and good practice with us so that schools can continue to learn from each other’s experiences. A number of schools have found the following suggestions useful: 1. Form a small focus group of about four to five staff members (this will vary according to the size of your school) Be sure to include real enthusiasts in your group, who will run with the idea of embedding reading for pleasure across the whole school community. Make sure that there is at least one member of senior management (if possible the headteacher) in your team, as this will be vital in overcoming potential barriers. 2. Complete the Reading Connects audit The self-evaluation framework on pages 6-9 of this booklet will allow your focus group to look at the school’s current reading for pleasure provision and see which areas need developing. 3. Get the rest of the staff on board A whole-school commitment to moving forward with the Reading Connects approach will be essential. If you are looking for recruitment tools to use for staff meetings, Inset etc, there are numerous Reading Connects resources on the website to help. 4. Make reading for pleasure as visible as possible in school The Reading Connects website includes some great ideas for raising the profile of reading in your school. As well as the school corridors, classrooms and foyer, it is also a good idea to make reading for pleasure visible in places where pupils might not expect to see reading promotions – the playground or the dining hall, for example. 5. Focus on further areas to strengthen your activity When you are happy with the visual profile that reading for pleasure has in your school, you may like to think about focusing on further areas identified in the audit. Certainly, engaging pupils’ families in promoting reading in the home will be an important area to consider. 6. Explore the Reading Connects network in your area Search for your local authority on the website and identify which schools have also signed up to the initiative and which members of the local authority team have signed up as Reading Connects partners. Schools and local authority teams are encouraged to use this area of the website to build effective learning communities. 7. Share your good practice with us We are always really keen to hear about your experiences of developing a reading for pleasure culture, so that we can share your good practice and experiences with other schools and authorities. Showcase your reading activity by using your school’s Reading Connects blog. Alternatively, you can email case studies to readingconnects@literacytrust.org.uk. The Reading Connects audit on pages 6-9 of this booklet is optional and can be completed before or after signing up. The audit has been designed to encourage you to review the provision for promoting reading for pleasure across the whole school community. It can also be downloaded from www.readingconnects.org.uk www.readingconnects.org.uk
The Reading Connects website 5 www.readingconnects.org.uk can be accessed by everyone and is a free information portal for schools and organisations looking for inspiration on how to develop a whole-school reading culture. The website features: • tried-and-tested practical ideas • Reading Connects resources and links to reading resources from other organisations • the Reading Connects audit • advice on how to run Reading Connects in a school, including funding advice • inspiring case studies • access to your local Reading Connects community Have you visited www.readingconnects.org.uk lately? “I was very impressed with the resources offered on the Reading Connects website and would urge every school to register. I can only say to those who work with children of any age and want to encourage the love of books, log on to the site and get searching. The ideas and help are there, so use them.” Reading Connects school
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Building whole-school reading communities - National Literacy Trust

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