A little reading goes a long way! 

• 10-15 minutes of reading, 3 times a week is enough to ensure your child is engaging with their reading skills.  

• Plan in quiet time to read togother with no other distractions around. 

• Spend time introducing the book or reading task by talking about what it might be about. 

• Encourage your child to read aloud and engage with the vocabulary.  

• Sound out words that are new or more challenging. Using phonics will help with this.  

• Point to where the story starts and use your finger to follow the words as they are read. 

• Use images or pictures to help find the meaning of words.  

• Give praise regularly! 

Personal Reading: your child will be asked to read a book of their choice on a regular basis. Reading for pleasure is of huge benefit to children’s literacy skills and is actively encouraged.  

Close Reading: your child may be asked to complete close reading tasks by reading a passage of information and answering questions on the writer’s ideas and language.  

Critical Reading: your child may be asked to study a novel, play or poem. They will explore the language used by the writer and the effect it has on the reader. 

When young people say they don’t want to read, it’s often worth pausing to explore what’s really behind that feeling. In adolescence, reading can sometimes feel less appealing or even “uncool”, but this usually isn’t about reading itself - it’s about experience, confidence, and connection.

For some students, reading becomes associated with schoolwork and exam pressure, which can unintentionally take the enjoyment out of it. Something that once felt relaxing can start to feel like a task. In these cases, it helps to gently reintroduce reading in ways that feel lighter and more personal, so it can be experienced again as something enjoyable rather than demanding.

Confidence also plays a significant role. A young person who is unsure of their reading ability may quietly avoid it, even if they are capable. Short, accessible texts can help rebuild that sense of success and achievement. A quiet conversation with a teacher can often provide reassurance and a clearer picture of how they are progressing, allowing the right support to be offered with care and sensitivity.

One of the most effective ways to encourage reading is to connect it to what already interests them. If a student enjoys a particular film, series, or video game, it can be powerful to explore books that extend or mirror those worlds. Familiar storylines can act as a bridge into reading, making it feel less like a separate 'school activity' and more like an extension of something they already enjoy.

It’s also important not to be overly restrictive about what counts as “good” reading. Reading is a habit as much as it is a skill, and the most important thing is that young people are reading regularly in some form. Magazines, graphic novels, online articles, and hobby-based texts all help to build that habit. Over time, this often naturally leads to more varied and challenging reading. School will continue to provide appropriate academic stretch; home reading can remain a space for enjoyment and curiosity.

Above all, reading should never feel like a punishment or a pressure. When it is forced, it can become something a young person turns away from. When it is encouraged gently, with patience and understanding, it can become something they return to willingly. 

It also helps more than we sometimes realise for children to simply see reading happening around them. A parent or sibling reading at home, friends talking about a book, or people choosing to spend time in a library all send a quiet but powerful message: that reading is just part of life, something normal and worthwhile, not something reserved for school or exams. 

In the spirit of a caring, faith-filled school community, we aim to meet every young person where they are, recognising their dignity and individuality. Encouraging reading is not only about developing a skill, but about nurturing confidence, imagination, and a lifelong openness to learning.

S5-6

• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

• The Perks of being a Wallflower by S. Chbosky

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

• To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

• The Lord of the Rings (trilogy) by J.R.R. Tolkien

• Join your local library here: https://www.slleisureandculture.co.uk/info/107/how_to_join 

• Sign up to our Holy Cross High Library Google Classroom using this code: 4mepzjd 

• Scottish Book Trust’s book lists for teens: www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/book-lists/teens