Reasons why you love Read for My School

Published on: 31 March 2016

Over 1,800 schools are taking part in this year's Read for My School competition, a three month event that encourages pupils in year 3-8 to read as much as they can.

With big prizes to be won and free access to an online library of over 100 books, pupils across England have already taken up the challenge with panache, already reading over 550,000 books.

But it's not all about numbers, we wanted to visit a few schools to see first-hand what impact the competition was having in the classroom.

Our visits to Burbage School and Al Sadiq & Al Zahra showed how much Read for My School has been helping children find a new love for reading. Many pupils reported:

• Reading more books than usual

• A new desire to explore different genres and authors

• Enjoying the novelty of being able to read online and for free

Arriving at one of the schools it was clear the effect the competition was having on pupils. Walking into the IT room all the computers were occupied, but instead of playing games or surfing through websites, every single child was reading.

Sometimes, it seems, it just takes a little competition to motivate even the most reluctant reader.

But don't take our word for it; see what some of the children and teachers think of Read for My School.

'I have dyslexia so I have to work harder. I find it harder to read on screen but I still quite like it. Usually I don't like reading, but I think I'm getting into it now.'

'I never used to read, but when my teachers told me about this I saw lots of different books on the website that I actually felt like reading for the first time. When you're helping your school you feel proud and you want to read more.'

'My parents are very proud of me now. It's better on the website because I didn't want to feel like I had a responsibility towards a book or look after it.'

 

'I like it because it got me to read a lot more. Rather than one book a night I read three. I'm quite competitive!'

'Before I only used to read one author but when I finished their series I got told about Read for My School and I discovered lots of new genres. Now I read lots of different things.'

'It's got children hooked into reading. One parent told me it had been fantastic motivation for her dyslexic daughter. Not just that, but the impact on children's writing and their vocabulary has been noted by many teachers in the school. Quote from teacher.'

Children who read just three books could win prizes. Children who read nine books could win £1,000 worth of vouchers for their school.