Today is World Book Day and as children around the world excitedly mark the occasion by dressing up as their favourite literary character, or join in with special events at their school, it is important to remember that behind the buzz and excitement of the day there is an important message – to encourage more children to find the joy in reading.
According to research, reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success. It has been linked to higher academic achievement and there is evidence to show it improves overall social and emotional well-being. This is a stark fact when studies show that children and young people’s enjoyment in reading is declining – particularly in those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Professor of Literacy, Teresa Cremin is Co-Director of the OU’s Literacy and Social Justice Centre and leads the reading for pleasure team. She is a leading voice on the subject and through her work she has helped to develop numerous resources for schools and organisations, including the highly acclaimed Open University’s Reading Schools Programme which supports educators to develop a rich culture of reading across their school.
Professor Cremin said:
“Far too many young people in school can read, but do not choose to do so, and as a consequence they are disadvantaged in many ways. Our programme responds to the challenge of motivating young readers, enabling teachers to enrich their knowledge and practice and make a difference to attitudes and attainment. We profile children’s agency, their access to diverse contemporary texts, and the creation of connected communities of readers. We know this work makes a real difference. The year-long blended learning programme, aligned to the national curriculum and the DfE Reading Framework is offered with a primary or KS3 (ages 11-14) focus.”
Once a school joins the programme, they are supported with practical evidence-based resources, tools to track impact on reading for pleasure and access to a specially curated part of the website with case studies of the school improvement work of previous programme graduates. They also receive staff development, conferences, tutorials, workshops and much more.
You can find out more about the Reading Schools Programme here
For further information and resources please visit the OU’s reading for pleasure website
For Professor Cremin’s tips on reading aloud to children click here
