The Importance of Reading

At Paddington Academy, reading is extremely important to us. We know that students need to read fluently to be successful at school, university, and beyond. We build this into the school day through DEAR, tutor time reading, library access, and reading in lessons.

Why is reading for pleasure matters

Reading for pleasure supports both academic success and wellbeing. It develops empathy, improves vocabulary, and helps students access the curriculum more effectively. It also broadens their experiences and has been shown to reduce stress and increase happiness.

The Importance of Reading at Home

Reading at home makes a significant difference. Research shows that parental involvement in reading is one of the most important factors in a child’s progress. Talking to your child about what they are reading and encouraging regular reading can have a strong impact - even if parents are not confident readers. Listening to your child read is one of the simplest and most effective ways to support them.

How can you support your child with their reading at home?

Before

Activate prior knowledge by asking a question (choose one)

What happened last time we were reading this?
What do you know about this topic?
What happened in the last chapter?
What have you learned about... at school?
Do you remember when we watched... and found out about...?

During

Encourage your child to develop fluency by:

Reading with expression – say it like you mean it. For example, read this sentence aloud but with emphasis on different words: ‘I never said she walked home.’
Making the punctuation audible – let me hear the full stop. For example, use the commas to pause for effect: ‘I looked, I turned, and I ran.’
Re-reading difficult passages or parts they stumbled on – read it again.
Working out what an unfamiliar word means by reading the rest of the sentence and looking for clues.

After

Summarise and make predictions by asking a question (choose one)

What is the main thing that happened or changed?
What do you want/expect to happen next?
Is there anything that we are still waiting to find out?
Was there anything that particularly surprised or interested you?

Useful websites to support with reading at home

Achuka is an independent children’s book site that has something for everyone
Barrington Stoke is an award-winning publisher that makes books for struggling readers
Booktrust promotes children’s reading and produces a wide range of information for young readers including booklists. They have a useful ‘book finder’ tool to help you find your child’s next book

Parents