At Guiseley School, we take reading seriously.
Why is reading so important?
Reading is the single most important thing we can support students with both in and out of school. Students who are fluent readers and read for pleasure:
- are more likely to have a higher reading age (Clark 2014. Twist 2007. PIRLS, 2006; PISA, 2009)
- will make significantly more progress in vocabulary, spelling and maths (Sullivan and Brown 2013)
- will get higher GCSE grades (Clark 2011; Clark and Douglas 2011. OECD, 2002)
- increase their general knowledge (Clark and Rumbold, 2006)
- increase empathy, improve relationships with others, reduce the symptoms of depression and have improved wellbeing throughout life (The Reading Agency 2015. Clark and Rumbold, 2006)
- increase their understanding of their own identity and gain greater insight into the world view of others (The Reading Agency 2015).
Guiseley School’s commitment to reading
Guiseley School is committed to ensuring that every student in our community has the opportunity to become a great reader by building positive reading habits and making reading for pleasure a priority within the school.
To help achieve this we:
- have directed reading time for all students in school as part of form time and as a discrete reading and library lesson at Key Stage 3
- have a well-stocked library, open from 8am until 4pm, at the heart of our school building: an inviting space for students to sit and spend time reading during their free time
- build reading habits in our students through daily reading homework and the expectation that every child has a reading book as part of their equipment
- offer a wide range of extracurricular reading opportunities, including: subject specialist reading groups; book clubs; whodunnit groups; and our popular ‘Book of Month’
- provide opportunities for reading during the day with our ‘Daily Discourse’ – a series of short, topical articles available to read in our social areas
- give students, right up to 6th form, the opportunity to become student librarians and to help support the running of the school library
- undertake thorough reading testing at Key Stage 3 to identify any support needed for students who find reading more challenging and make sure that specialist, 1:1/small group intervention is provided for those who need it.