“Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success’
OECD
Little Ilford School believes that reading widely and often enhances a student's achievement, life chances and wellbeing. All staff work hard to promote reading for pleasure. It is important that family and friends support this by encouraging reading and talking about reading at home.
We recommend at least 40 minutes per day for years 7-8 and 20 minutes per day for years 9-11.
All kinds of reading are valuable. Factual books increase knowledge and understanding. Stories foster empathy as well as building reading stamina. Newspapers and magazines keep us up-to-date and encourage curiosity.
Benefits of reading for pleasure:
- There is a positive link between positive attitudes towards reading and scoring well on reading assessments (Twist et al, 2007)
- Regularly reading stories or novels outside of school is associated with higher scores in reading assessments (PIRLS, 2006; PISA, 2009).
- Evidence suggests that reading for pleasure is an activity that has emotional and social consequences (Clark and Rumbold, 2006).
- Other benefits to reading for pleasure include: text comprehension and grammar, positive reading attitudes, pleasure in reading in later life, increased general knowledge (Clark and Rumbold, 2006).
- Reading a novel enhances connectivity in the brain and improves brain function
- Young people who read fiction have significantly stronger reading skills than their peers who do not
Click here to go to our Little Ilford School Library page
Click here to go to our Reading Blog