It seems hardly a week goes by without the government introducing yet another initiative to improve literacy standards in schools. Yet fewer children seem to be reading just for pleasure these days. Surrounded by computers, video games and television, have they lost the incentive? Noted author and Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen spent ten weeks at Springwood Primary School in Wales to investigate why the children aren’t keen on reading, and what changes could be made.
The first thing Rosen does on his arrival is to ask the 6 – 11-year-old students to write down which three books they last read and when. Unfortunately there are many blank spaces on the pages; few could list three, and the majority of those who did were girls. It seems boys don’t think reading is cool – “none of my friends do it so I don’t either” is the prevailing attitude. They would rather be playing video games or outside having a kick-about. Another common complaint was that, outside of comics or football annuals, they just couldn’t find anything they wanted to read.
Make Time For Literature, Not Just Literacy
As in the majority of schools across the country, most of the books available are part of reading schemes which, says Rosen “might be useful in teaching children to read, but they’re utterly predictable. They’re not books that get children really thinking or get them wanting to carry on reading.” It’s not that the school doesn’t want to buy more books, it simply doesn’t have the money. There is a library, split into two separate rooms, but the selection is limited, and many children don’t use it simply because they don’t have the time to go there. With the National Curriculum firmly in place, there is literally no space in the day to squeeze in a visit.
Parents Can Provide Vital Help
But of course school isn’t the only place for reading. Parents also need to be involved, so how much are the children being encouraged to pick up a book at home? Some parents do not read well themselves, which either spurs them on to ensure their child will succeed where they don’t, or they lack the confidence to try and help. Some see books as too expensive – when did they last visit the town library?
So with a missionary zeal to equal Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food campaign to get Britain cooking, Rosen sets about reintroducing the children to the joys of reading. His enthusiasm is infectious and everyone is involved, from the teachers to the dinner ladies and even the caretaker. He gets children writing, trips to the local library are organised, pupils start bringing in or recommending their favourite books, and the school starts to sell cut-price books in order to get their bookshelves stacked at home. Their big Book Week is a roaring success, with loads of activities and visits from authors. Even the school library gets a facelift with all the staff pitching in to redecorate a little-used classroom to bring everything into one place.
So it seems it can be done – with the right encouragement children will actually pick up a book voluntarily. Just Read With Michael Rosen is an inspiring little gem of a programme, sending out the message loud and clear that if it works in this school, others across the country can easily follow suit. As one teacher puts it, “We’re just going to scrub the curriculum for the day and we’re going to do a project … and have the freedom and the confidence to say the rest of it doesn’t matter.”
