“The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity. And that means, at its simplest, finding books that they enjoy, giving them access to those books, and letting them read them.”  Neil Gaiman

Research has shown that there is a positive relationship between reading frequency, reading enjoyment and attainment. Reading enjoyment has been reported as being more important for children’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status.

Furthermore, reading for pleasure not only impacts on reading achievement but also increases general knowledge, gives a better understanding of other cultures and increases empathy.

In North Lanarkshire Schools, under the Scottish Attainment Challenge, we aim to make reading for pleasure a priority in our bid to ensure excellence and equity in our schools. We are fortunate enough to have dedicated school librarians in almost all of our North Lanarkshire Secondary Schools. Our secondary school librarians provide excellent support and encouragement to all pupils to help develop and promote reading for pleasure.

In line with this and in collaboration with English departments, school librarians will be promoting North Lanarkshire Schools Read to Succeed pledge. The main aim of this pledge is to get our new S1 pupils hooked on reading for pleasure. With funding from the Scottish Attainment Challenge,  every secondary school across North Lanarkshire has received a set of books suitable for S1 pupils chosen by our school librarians to ensure every pupil will have access to books suitable for their interest and ability levels.

Reading for pleasure has been proven to have a huge range of benefits for children, ranging from improved exam results and literacy levels, through to good mental health. This year, we want pupils, parents/carers, teachers and librarians to participate in the North Lanarkshire Schools Read to Succeed pledge to help ensure our pupils are reaching their full potential in terms of literacy.

We are asking you as a parent or carer to play an active role in encouraging your child to read for pleasure and ensure that they are actually reading, simply by talking regularly with them about what they are reading.

Advice on how to encourage children to read for pleasure is available from The Scottish Book Trust website: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/parents.

If you want any further advice on helping your child choose books or how you can motivate them to read, please feel free to get in touch with our school librarian by contacting the school. Mrs Lumsden will be delighted to help. With your support, we can help your child ‘Read to Succeed’ and maximise their potential.