Love of literature soars above national average across Redhill Academy Trust

Nationally, only 35% of children aged 8 to 18 enjoy reading for pleasure*. While across Redhill Academy Trust this figure rises to 68% among Year 7 students. 

A blog post by Renaissance, developers of the Accelerated Reader programme, has praised the Trust for cultivating 'a thriving reading culture across 10 secondary schools’ which promotes a love of literature and paves the way for other schools to implement similar strategies.

The blog explains: “At the heart of the trust’s success is a simple but powerful idea: make reading a normal, enjoyable part of everyday school life. Each school in the trust timetables a daily DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time in Years 7 and 8, embedding reading into the rhythm of the school day. This consistent routine helps students form lasting reading habits and signals that reading is valued across the school community.”

Gary Hillyard, Head of School at The Carlton Academy, champions reading and literacy at Redhill Academy Trust, having led the secondary reading strategy for the last 8 years. He recently recorded an episode of The Renaissance Space Podcast exploring his life-long passion for literature; from his early job as a bookseller to being a teacher and his deep commitment to developing a Trust-wide culture of reading.

Gary said: “By cultivating a love of reading through our reading curriculum, we help transport our students to far off lands, explore figures from the past and the present and deepen their cultural understanding of the world around them and the world at large.”

He added: “Coupling this with the development of their core reading skills, opens the door to academic achievement as well as preparing them for the world beyond school.”

Well-stocked libraries, inspiring author visits, student reading ambassadors and an annual Book Awards are just some of the other ways schools across Redhill Academy Trust boost and sustain reading for pleasure across all Key Stages.

Evie, a Year 13 student at The Redhill Academy Sixth Form, is a reading ambassador, who is paired with younger students to support their reading. She said: “It has increased my confidence when talking to new people and made me find a love for reading again. Seeing the students improve over the year with their reading has made me feel proud.”

Lucy Georgeson, Trust Lead Librarian based at The Carlton Academy, is passionate about the power of school libraries. Nationally they are in decline**, but Redhill Academy Trust is bucking that trend. Lucy said: “All our secondary academies have fully staffed school libraries and they champion reading for pleasure. It's absolutely wonderful and testament to the fact that our Trust really does care about reading.”

* Reading For Pleasure Research | National Literacy Trust

** School library provision suffers from ‘inequality of access’, research finds