Whole School Development

This self‐review document is designed to help you consider your practice with regard to reading for pleasure. It is organised around key themes which, research evidence indicates, influence teachers’ capacity to effectively develop children’s engagement as readers‐ readers who like reading, who chose to read and who want to talk about what they are reading with interested others

A: Teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature

Name three authors whose work you value

Name three picture fiction creators whose work you value

Name three poets whose work you value

B: Children’s reading practices

List three different readers in your class

Rate your knowledge of their reading habits and preferences in school

1 2 3 4 5 6

Rate your knowledge of their reading habits and preferences out‐of‐ school

1 2 3 4 5 6

How do you find out about children’s attitudes to reading, in your class and school?

C: Reading for pleasure pedagogy

Independent reading time

What percentage of your class do you observe choosing to look at books in the reading areas on a daily basis?

•    all
•    most
•    few
•    none

How much time per day on average do you set aside for adults to read with children one to one (excluding reading scheme texts)

•    More than 1 hour
•    30 minutes
•    10 minutes
•    None

On a scale of 1‐6 how often do children in your class choose what they are reading?

1 2 3 4 5 6

On a scale of 1‐6 how often do you encourage children to talk about texts during independent reading?

1 2 3 4 5 6

Reading aloud

How much time per day do you allocate to reading aloud stories/other texts to the whole class?

•    30 minutes
•    20 minutes
•    10 minutes
•    5 minutes or less

Who chooses what you read aloud?

You always You mostly and occasionally the children □ You share choices and decide with the children

What in your view are the core reasons for reading aloud to children?

•    Widening children’s vocabulary
•    Providing a reading role model of expressive reading
•    Enjoyment of texts beyond their ability
•    Support for comprehension
•    Building texts in common in the reading community

Social reading environments

Think of your classroom, what three key messages does your environment convey about reading?

How often do the children use and interact with your classroom reading environment?

Regularly Sometimes Rarely Never

Rate your knowledge about the children’s reading networks/reader relationships, who they like to read/talk with about reading?

1 2 3 4 5 6

Informal book talk

How often do you informally talk about books‐ that are not being studied in literacy or guided reading sessions‐ with your class?

Regularly Sometimes Rarely Never

How often do you provide opportunities for children to talk informally about their reading and their preferences as readers?

Regularly Sometimes Rarely Never

How often do you provide opportunities for adults/parents to demonstrate/ talk informally about their reading and their preferences

Regularly Sometimes Rarely Never

How often do you find specific tailored books and reading materials to share with children?

Regularly Sometimes Rarely Never

How often do you find specific tailored books and reading materials for adults/parents to share with children?

Regularly Sometimes Rarely Never

How/where do you find out about book recommendations for your classroom?

•   Friends
•   Colleagues
•   Magazines/journales/catalogues
•   Websites
•   Social Media

How often do you let children and parents know about your favourite books?

•    Frequently
•    Occasionally
•    Never

D: Reading teachers – teachers who read and readers who teach

How do you think the children in your class view you as a reader?

•    As an avid, enthusiastic reader who loves reading
•    As a keen reader who reads when time allows
•    As someone who may be a reader
•    I don’t think they will have considered this
•    Someone who is required to read because they are the teacher

How often do you discuss what are you reading (children or adult texts) with other teachers /adults in the school?

Regularly Sometimes Rarely Never

How often do you engage in RfP CPD?

•    Once a year
•    Twice a year
•    Termly
•    Monthly
•    Weekly

How do you think the children in your class view you as a reader?

•    as an avid, enthusiastic reader who loves reading
•    as a keen reader who reads when time allows
•    as someone who may be a reader
•    I don’t think they will have considered this

E: Reading communities

How frequently are parents/carers members of the community invited you’re your school to read with/to children and share their reading lives/ journey

Regularly Sometimes Rarely Never

Rate the strength of the home‐school reading community in your school

1 2 3 4 5 6

Rate the strength of the reading ethos in your class

1 2 3 4 5 6

Looking back across this survey, which area do you feel is strongest area supporting childrens reading for pleasure?

Which area would you most like to develop?