Read more, scroll less!

As World Book Week draws to a close, I would like to ask for your support in encouraging our students to read more.

Our attention is constantly pulled towards screens. Many of us are scrolling more than ever before, and the simple act of sitting down to read can feel increasingly rare. Yet reading remains one of the most powerful habits we can model for young people. When children see the adults around them valuing time spent reading, they begin to understand that it is something meaningful rather than something they are simply asked to do for school.

Before joining Great Ballard, I remember setting cover work for a Year 8 class and telling them they would spend the lesson reading. What I was met with were groans, sighs and visible disappointment. I remember feeling genuinely disheartened. It reminded me of a concern many teachers share about the decline in reading for pleasure among teenagers.

Thinking about this recently led me to reflect on my own reading journey. Being the youngest of three, I was that child in Reception who had already learnt the “Ben, lad, here, look” words from flashcards and happily sailed through the early levels of the Ginn reading scheme. Like many teenagers, my own reading dipped for a time. At university, studying Literature meant that reading for pleasure occasionally became reading under pressure. Reading habits change throughout our lives, but the important thing is that the habit is always there to return to.

Earlier this year the government launched the National Year of Reading. The campaign is built around a simple idea: If you are into it, read into it. The principle is that when young people follow their interests, reading becomes purposeful rather than something imposed. Inspired by this approach, I asked my Year 9 class to research and read into a topic of their choice. The rules were simple, explore something that genuinely interests you and share what you discover.

This week one student delivered a speech about how video games are created. They spoke about the creativity involved and the different things they had read to understand how games are designed and developed. More importantly, they explained that since beginning the project they now read every day because they want to understand their interest more deeply.

This says a great deal about how young people want to read today. We cannot be overly prescriptive about what they read. Reading is not confined to novels alone. It can take many forms and often begins with curiosity.

During this week each student from Year 2 to Year 11 received a small jar to fill with a dream or ambition. Seeing those jars gradually fill was a reminder that curiosity, imagination and reading are often closely connected.

There are a few simple things we can all do to encourage reading.

Model reading.

Talk about what you are reading.  

Allow choice.

Create space for reading.

Most importantly, encourage curiosity.

So, if I may end with a simple request?  

Scroll less, read more and encourage our young people to read into what they love.

‍