To mark National Storytelling Week 2023, which runs from January 30th to February 4th, Thalia Thompson takes a look at how parents and schools can work together to instil a lifelong passion for reading and books in children
It?s 2pm on Friday at Lancing College Prep in Worthing; a year eight pupil is making the rounds of the corridors, ringing a hand bell. It?s time for ?drop everything and read?. Every pupil and member of staff will stop what they?re doing and read quietly for the next 15 minutes.  For Tammy Casey, Head of English, this weekly event is central to the culture at the school.
Literacy skills are a key indicator for future success and a recent study by the universities of Sussex and Edinburgh showed that developing a love of reading translates to a 7-9 point increase in a child?s GCSE grades in the future – the equivalent of an extra top grade GCSE. But this isn’t the only reason schools are so keen to encourage a love of reading. ?It?s about joy,? says Tammy Casey, ?we?re modelling reading for pleasure.? Paul Conway, Head of English at Moor Park in Shropshire agrees, ?You have to start with enjoyment. To find a book that you lose yourself in is such a pleasure. All the benefits of being able to access other academic subjects and achievements across the curriculum are secondary actually.?
How to get your child to be interested in reading
Credit: Lancing College Prep
Some children seem to take naturally to reading but it takes a bit more persistenc...