Reading at Home

Reading is important because it affects almost every aspect of a person’s life (Breadmore et al., 2019). It provides students with opportunities to improve their written style, understand the world outside the school curriculum, and widen their vocabulary. Furthermore, “Students who cannot read, write, and communicate effectively are highly unlikely to access the challenging academic curriculum in secondary schools and are more likely to have poor educational outcomes across all subjects” (Ricketts, Sperring, and Nation, 2014).

A student who reads for 20 minutes each day will read 3,600 minutes in a school year, equivalent to 60 extra whole school days. They will be exposed to over 1,800,000 new words (Department of Education, 1999).

It is undeniable that reading is important, but in secondary schools, increased independence, more homework, and greater social awareness often push reading to the sidelines. As a parent, it can be difficult to navigate conversations about reading at home, especially with increasing technological advances. However, the benefits of doing so are palpable. At Sutton Grammar, we aim to encourage a culture of reading that is not just linked to English but is seen everywhere—at home and at school. You will see posters of what teachers are reading when you visit, find blog posts with student and teacher recommendations, and encounter the reading ambassador program and assemblies promoting reading. Additionally, we have timetabled reading sessions for the lower school, reading sessions in form time, and an annual World Book Day celebration with talks from current authors (previous guests include Dominic Sandbrook and Andrew Lane).

This document is designed to help you support reading at home, providing you with research-based recommendations, as well as tips and advice from parents within our school community. We hope you find this document useful.

What counts as reading?

There is a misconception that reading should only consist of challenging, classical texts. However, enforcing this kind of reading as the only option for students will likely turn them away from reading altogether. The important thing is to encourage reading that your child enjoys and, if it is not challenging enough, occasionally suggest alternative forms or different authors.

If your son is a reluctant reader, a route into reading might be through alternative forms themselves. These include:

Graphic novels—there is a selection in the library, and many are beautifully and thoughtfully crafted.
Articles—some parents recommend sharing and discussing non-fiction pieces as a family.
Ebooks—some parents recommended Kindles in our recent survey as a way in for reluctant readers.

How often should my child be reading?

According to research, your child should be reading daily for at least 20 minutes. Parents have found coupling this with bedtime routines to be most effective.

How can I create a culture of regular reading?

Not always opting for large texts or classics. Encourage your child to pick books themselves, recommend your own, or seek advice from bookshop owners or librarians. There are plenty of reading lists and guides in the SGS planner and on our website.
Discussion—try to discuss reading with your child, what interests them, and what they enjoy.
“See me, do what I do”—the most impactful measure is when children see parents reading themselves. Why not ask for a recommendation from them?
Technology—according to our parent survey, placing limits on technology is one of the most effective ways to encourage reading at home. This can include timers, keeping devices downstairs, or no devices before bed.
Although contrary to the above, exploring wider resources like BookTok and Libby can be useful.
Libraries and bookshops—visit these regularly to foster a love for reading

What reading recourses are available at school?

SGS Library Blog—accessible at school and at home, updated termly with the librarian’s recommendations and a teacher feature.
SORA—access hundreds of ebooks and audiobooks for free.
Book recommendations from teachers and librarians.
Tutor Reading Time—once a week, students participate in a form ‘Drop Everything And Read’ session.
A school library with a dedicated team of librarians. Feel free to email the librarians for further advice and book recommendations (library@suttongrammar.school).

Reading for Pleasure

Are you looking for a great book for the classroom, the school library or your student’s collection? The following reading lists contain books suitable for students in secondary school and sixth form year groups. These titles consist of a range of fiction and nonfiction for all ability ranges.

These lists of books are updated termly and contain stories by a wide variety of authors.

For younger children, read to them and have them read to you every night before bed. For older children, read at the same time with them. Make them sit on a sofa and read a book, while you read a book, or sit next to them in bed and read while they read. The more they see you read, the more they will see reading as something good to do.

SGS Parent

Read with and to your boys. Get them talking about the books you've read, so that they can expand their thoughts and share them. My eldest daughter (19) wrote her EPQ on story sharing, and discovered that when parents 'share' story reading, the teen engages more. In fact, many authors are calling for parents to continue reading with their teens, in the same way you'd watch a TV programme together.

SGS Parent

By example - make it normal for them to see you reading and talking to them about books/things you've read. This isn't by any means advice from a model reader (as I don't read enough myself) but I think a lot of parenting is showing by example- what you would like your children to be doing.

SGS Parent

Many parents stop reading with and to their children from the moment that a child can read for themselves, and that doesn't help to nurture creativity and inspiration. So my advice is: your boys may seem like men, but the reason they don't read is because you haven't nurtured that wonder of reading at home. Share a story, don't just buy a book and expect your child to get on with it.

SGS Parent

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