Collective Reading

Why is reading so important to us at Baysgarth school?

At Baysgarth we value the importance of the reading skills of our students; we know the significant impact that reading skills have on our students’ ability to do well at secondary school. We truly want our students to leave Baysgarth with the best possible GCSE grades as well as the skills to go on to achieve all of their ambitions in life. It has been proven that weak reading skills limit the life chances of young people but being a fluent reader with good literacy skills is the key to success.


Strong reading skills and habits positively affect:


  • GCSE outcomes of all subjects;

  • Vocabulary development;

  • Physical and emotional health;

  • Future income;

  • Family life;

  • Engagement in the community;

  • Sleeping habits;

  • Developing empathy and compassion.


15 minutes of reading a day is the “magic number” at which students start seeing substantial positive gains in reading achievement; students who read just over a half-hour to an hour per day see the greatest gains of all!


Therefore, at Baysgarth we offer our students 7 20 minute sessions of ‘reading for pleasure’ across the Week A and B timetable. This time is called Collective Reading. The strategy aims to engage every child in reading modern novels which will engage and intrigue as well as develop them as young people. Over the course of the year the aim is to read as many different fiction novels appropriate to their age, exposing our students to stories and issues connected to the world around them. By the time your child leaves Baysgarth they would have had the opportunity to read novels they may never have chosen to read before. All of our staff are involved in delivering the sessions as we are all reading role models for our learners.

What happens during Collective Reading time?

  • For all students in Years 7 - 10 they will attend their Collective Reading group and will be read to by a member of our staff;

  • Students follow the story along in their own copy of the novel- using a bookmark to guide them should they need to;

  • At the beginning of each novel the students will watch a launch video for it created by our own staff members who have read the novel;

  • At the end of reading a novel the students have the opportunity to discuss their views and ideas relating to questions about the novel’s themes, events and characters - building their oracy skills.

Why does a staff member read to the students?

The staff member will have the ability to model fluent, expert reading which is proven to develop the reading skills of our students. It can help to:

  • build our students’ fluency skills including proper phrasing and expression;

  • improve students’ sight word recognition of unfamiliar vocabulary;

  • build our students’ understanding of the story;

  • allows students to hear the tone and pace of a skilful reader;

  • show that reading is for everybody!

What are the other benefits of Collective Reading?

  • Our novels are interesting, award-winning, modern and diverse reads which are written by a range of authors and present a variety of viewpoints;

  • All of our novels explore issues relevant to our students and the 21st century building their understanding of the world we live in;

  • The novels help educate and challenge our students’ views;

  • Reading regularly helps to build reading resilience in our learners;

  • Our novels cover a range of genres; there is something for everyone;

  • The stories develop our students’ skills of compassion and empathy.

Here are just some of the novels we read in Collective Reading time!

Who are the 'Collective Reading Stars' and how is their Collective Reading time different?

A 'for the students, driven by the students' approach to Collective Reading time. For some of our students being read aloud to by a member of staff will not benefit them as their fluency and comprehension skills are above their actual age (as identified in the NGRT tests) already. Instead, being given the opportunity to explore novels which they may not have chosen and that still build their cultural capital is more important to their reading development.


Baysgarth's 'Collective Reading Stars' is a group where the students read in silence and independently for the duration of the Collective Reading time. They have their own micro library of 15 different titles (selected by the school) which they read and rotate over the course of the academic year. Each student has a 'book buddy' who reads the same novel as them at the same time so that at the end of reading it they can discuss their views and ideas relating to the issues explored. The students are responsible for completing the page tracker and are given a menu of flipped learning activities to complete after finishing their novels.


Being part of the Collective Reading Stars group is a privilege and an opportunity for our learners to develop their independance skills. Our students need to rank as having a significantly above average SAS score and must apply to be a part of the group, demonstrating their love of reading and their interest in exploring a range of diverse and modern novels.

Here are our Reading Stars novels!

What can you do to support your child with their reading habits and skills at home?

  • Allocate time for them to read for pleasure at home- removing other distractions;

  • Use your local library to borrow books which will engage your child- it’s free to sign up;

  • Encourage your child to browse different books to keep up their interest in reading;

  • Use technology to support reading if possible (such as the Borrowbox app);

  • Ask your child questions about the book they are reading in Collective Reading;

  • Share your own interests in reading with your child so they can see you are a reading role model too;

  • Check out the resources on the 'How can I support and encourage reading at home' page to help with choosing books which will interest your child.