Could your school earn a 'Reading For Pleasure Award'?
Get a badge that proves a true commitment to equipping your learners for life
The list of benefits from reading for pleasure seems to grow every year. In 2013, the UCL Institute of Education revealed that learners who read for pleasure outperform their peers across all subjects, including Maths, regardless of their family’s socio-economic background.
And recently, Dr Michael Mosley (of ITV’s Secrets of Your Big Shop) released a podcast via the BBC sharing how science has uncovered reading’s overwhelmingly positive impact on mental health, physical health, and even lifespan. Listen to that here:
So if your school held an award proving its commitment to nurturing the love of reading among learners, surely it would be one of your proudest accolades?
The Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group is a branch of the Society of Authors, and they offer exactly that: an accredited signpost that your school is truly committed to equipping your learners with this invaluable mindset.
And it’s available to both primary and secondary schools.
So what are you waiting for?
How do I get the Award?
1: Create the Right Environment
It all starts by providing your learners with an environment that stimulates and supports recreational reading. For tips on creating such an environment…
…but for now, here are some basics to get you started:
Let your learners vote on the ‘class read’, so they’re all invested in your shared reading.
Before any questions on comprehension, ask your learners what they’re enjoying about the story so far.
Let your learners get creative with how they respond to those questions on their enjoyment – and display the results.
Create Reading Spaces around the school, full of a wide variety of books and a selection of comfy cushions for your learners to relax into reading.
Rather than making ‘Reading for Pleasure’ time a quiet 15min, provide it as an opportunity for your learners to rave to each other about the books they’re enjoying.
Perhaps most important of all: Keep the School Library for reading ONLY! Staff meetings and/or lessons that don’t involve reading are FORBIDDEN…!
For an entire lesson scheme proven to raise recreational reading around your school, including a selection of enthralling short stories to get you started, I highly recommend ordering a copy of All the Better to Read You With: Stories & Lessons to Inspire Reading for Pleasure.
2: Invite an Author to Your School
The next vital step is to bring an author or illustrator into your school – because only they can nominate your school for the award.
If you already know someone, great! Ask them to come in and speak with your learners about their enjoyment of stories.
Have someone in mind? Check out their website or social media; most will be delighted to receive your invitation and discuss your options.
The Society of Authors has its own directory of members, which can be a great starting point – but note that many authors will need to be booked via an agent or publisher. It’s also worth noting that not all members of the Society are on this list, as it’s something that authors register for separately (at the time of writing, I’m guilty of not getting round to adding myself yet…).
Probably the most popular agency for schools to find authors and illustrators available for bookings is Authors Aloud UK – for example, this is the only way to invite Korky Paul into your school.
And of course, I’d happily visit your school! You can connect with me by replying to this post, finding me on social media, or contacting one of my publishers, Epic Tales.
Important: Ask your author/illustrator about the Reading For Pleasure Awards towards the end of the day. Earlier than that, and your visitor may be put off by the sense that you have an agenda. Wow them first, then enquire if they know about the Awards…
Of course, if you’ve done a good job, your visitor may mention them to you first – but please don’t be disheartened if they don’t, or even if they aren’t aware of them. Bear in mind that the Awards are still fairly new, and your visitor will likely need to be a member of the Society of Authors to know about them.
For that same reason, though, don’t be afraid to bring up the topic – and maybe point your visitor to this article so they can start their research.
Bonus Tip: DON’T TRY TO MAKE YOUR VISIT COINCIDE WITH WORLD BOOK DAY! That’s the most popular week for author/illustrator/storyteller visits, and my diary for that week is typically booked a whole year in advance. Plus it might make more of an impression to show that you value reading the whole year round…
And that’s it!
Once you’ve done all the above, it’s time to wait and see if the author/illustrator puts you forward. $;-)
If you’ve done a good job but don’t hear anything, it might be because the author/illustrator is busy. Don’t be afraid to follow up with a thank you message for their visit, and ask for their feedback on your school. That should prompt them to remember your conversation about the Awards…
There’s no limit on the number of schools who can receive an Award…
BUT there is a limit on how many schools a single author/illustrator can nominate!
We can only put forward three schools a year – so get booking your visitor(s) ASAP! (NB: This is another good reason not to aim for World Book Day – authors, illustrators, and storytellers visit so many schools in that week, they can all blend into one…)
To find out more, visit the Awards website here – and don’t forget to…
Please also let me know right here if you have any questions or comments, by hitting the button to…
Please forward this support to a colleague – they may use it as much, or more, than you.
You’ll then feel the intense satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped even more children reap the rewards of recreational reading. $;-)
Got a question or comment about any of the above?
Please get in touch – I’m here to support you. $:-)