At Paddington, we understand the importance of reading. 

Reading is the academic key that unlocks the curriculum, influencing knowledge, skills and vocabulary in every subject discipline. Reading can also be a source of joy and pleasure, and we want all of our students to develop a love and appreciation of reading. We dedicate time within the school day for reading and ensure that our students have access to a rich, diverse and challenging range of texts.

Parent involvement in their child’s literacy is reported to be a more powerful force than other family background variables – including social class, parent education and family size.

Find out how you can support your child with reading at home.

DEAR (Drop Everything and Read)

To help develop a love of reading for pleasure, we protect time at the start of the school day for Year 7 and Year 8 students to read. For 15 minutes each day, students independently read a book of their choice before their lesson begins. For DEAR time, students can choose a book from the school library or bring a book from home.

School Library

At the heart of our building lies the school library. This purpose-built space has been designed to create a stimulating and supportive environment for reading. We invest in our library to ensure that we have a strong selection of literature, ranging from the classics to contemporary fiction across all genres. All students have access to the library at break, lunch and after school.