Recent research from the National Literacy Trust reveals that the cost-of-living crisis is having a detrimental impact on children’s access to books (NLT, 2023). The study of more than 3,000 parents and carers nationally also reveals the vital role that school libraries are playing in communities struggling during the economic down-turn.
It also found that 20% of the parents were buying fewer books for their children, increasing to 36% of those who were struggling financially. And 26% have asked their children to borrow more books from their school library.
‘Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere’
Mary Schmich
Lea Forest Primary Academy in Birmingham is acutely aware of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on children and families. The school serves an area of significant socio-economic disadvantage.
The school was graded outstanding by Ofsted in December 2022. However, noticeable to visitors such as myself is the lack of Ofsted slogans and banners in reception, instead leaders highlight the individual achievements of children on a display board. Also highlighted is just how reading is championed throughout the school.
Headteacher Craig Clarke-Castello told me: “We want every child to celebrate reading and enjoy reading both in school and in their homes.”
During my visit, children pass me in corridors clutching books and tell me about their latest read. It is clear that there is a narrative of reading culture in the school. As I’m stood in the reception area, a child uses an achievement token to choose a book from a reading vending machine. “It’s amazing because the Reader of the Week in each class gets to spend their achievement token on this machine and choose a book to take home,” the year 5 pupil explained.
Leaders at Lea Forest have spent time listening carefully to parents and families through surveys, coffee mornings and drop-ins. Mr Clarke-Castello added: “We know that purchasing books and accessing books isn’t easy because of library closures and because money is limited. We have a moral imperative to ensure both the children and families that we serve can access books.”
‘To learn to read is to light a fire’
Victor Hugo
The benefits of reading and the development of social skills alongside an ability to learn new information are well documented (Longden et al, 2015; Sullivan & Brown, 2015). Furthermore, research shows that fiction reading can support the development of imagination, empathy, and boost awareness of cultural beliefs (Simpson & Cremin, 2022).
To promote a love of reading at Lea Forest, teachers use a range of stories, poems, rhymes, and non-fiction texts that develop pupils’ vocabulary, language comprehension, and love of reading. This starts early. Children in the early years are introduced to a phonics scheme which aligns with letters and sounds. In nursery, this begins with whole-class teaching as children are taught to listen for sounds in words. This then develops to recognising written sounds for reading.
Throughout the year, children are also taught phonics in small groups, appropriate for their ability. Children have regular access to the school library and get to take books home to read to families.
Mr Clarke-Castello said: “Our curriculum intent for reading is simple: all children need to develop a love of reading and an ability to read if other areas of the curriculum are going to be accessed.”
Each subject area has dedicated planning time for reading and subject and phase leaders access bespoke CPD to support the implementation of effective reading across their curriculum area. Readers can find out more via the school’s website (see further information).
‘I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship’
Louisa May Alcott
The cost-of-living crisis is causing turbulence in communities nationwide. Research from Barnardo’s (Cooper, 2023) highlights how the on-going economic pressures are causing widespread stress and mental health challenges in families. It finds that 49% of families worry about their child missing out on experiencing a normal childhood due to financial cut-backs, while 50% are having to cut spending on leisure and social activities.
Leaders at Lea Forest are aware of the need to be responsive to the pain-points of the community. This is why the school has established a junior leadership team (JLT) to help ensure it is listening to the voice of children and families. The JLT meets with the headteacher and senior leadership team regularly to talk about issues and topics that are important to children and the community. This is reported to the school’s Academy Council which consists of local charity workers, community representatives, and the local MP.
Cherylin Francois, teaching and learning leader at Lea Forest, told me: “We commit to being ‘big hearted’ in our mission statement as a school but this has to be a verb for us too. We want to listen regularly to children and families, ensuring what they say feeds into our leadership meetings and strategic planning.”
A group of pupils tell me about how they have worked with the headteacher to ensure that the library opening hours have been extended and new displays are used across the school to celebrate the reading achievements of families.
The JLT is particularly passionate about the Reader of the Week initiative. Each week, a child is nominated by teachers and other pupils for being a Reader of the Week. This is rarely limited to reading ability, and children are celebrated for gains in their reading and demonstrating an interest in reading.
Recipients of the award have the opportunity to take home a suitcase that is filled with books recommended by pupils in their class. The reading case also contains reading activities for families to complete together and sachets of hot chocolate to enjoy.
One year 4 boy told me: “It is great because you get to review the books with your family and you can read to your younger brothers and sisters. I got to make my brother a hot chocolate and read to him like I was the teacher!”
In recent years, the school has witnessed an increase in the number of asylum-seeker and refugee families. As such, books and authors have been selected that help celebrate and raise awareness of the plight of refugee families locally and globally.
‘It is never too late to be wise’
Daniel Defoe
CPD is central to the story that leaders are writing at Lea Forest and it is rooted in research and evidence. All staff at Lea Forest are encouraged to engage in CPD reading through shared blogs and research articles and opportunity is given for educators to consider what this means in relation to their specific phase and subject areas.
Teachers work collaboratively to consider how a range of teaching strategies, such as those in Teach Like a Champion (Lemov, 2021), can be used to help better implement the reading curriculum and model effective reading consistently in classrooms. Staff work together at regular transition points in the year to share intelligence on pupils, the aspects of reading different children may be struggling with, and how to overcome these in each phase. This helps to ensure that all teachers and support staff have a collective wisdom around children and how to develop reading abilities in each phase and through different subjects.
‘Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast’
Lewis Carrol
In December, Ofsted (2022) wrote of Lea Forest: “Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils enjoy visiting the well-stocked school library, listening to stories, and being heard read every day. This helps pupils to develop a real love of reading. Pupils spoke confidently about their favourite author and book. They said they enjoy completing a book review once they have finished their book, as this helps them to explain a book to their friends, who can then decide if they want to read it.”
Leaders at Lea Forest offer other schools the opportunity to visit to find out more about the reading provision and how this is being used to support both children and the local community.
Regular time is dedicated at Lea Forest to thinking about local needs and context. Leaders consider how reading and other strategic school priorities are then linked to these priorities.
These questions are designed by the team at Lea Forest to help other school leaders further consider how reading can be used to tackle educational disadvantage and other issues facing communities during the cost-of-living crisis.
- What are some of the current and main barriers to reading experienced by children and families in your community because of financial pressures?
- How can teachers and support staff help to ease the financial burden of accessing books locally?
- Where and when do teachers/leaders routinely listen to children and families about the pressures of the cost-of-living, particularly related to reading?
- How might children be empowered to read to younger siblings at home and celebrate the love of reading in your school?
- Sean Harris is a doctoral researcher with Teesside University investigating the ways in which system leaders can address poverty and educational inequality in schools. He is also a trust improvement leader at Tees Valley Education, an all-through multi-academy trust in the North East of England. Follow him on Twitter @SeanHarris_NE and read his previous articles for Headteacher Update via http://bit.ly/htu-harris
Headteacher Update Summer Term Edition 2023
- This article first appeared in Headteacher Update's Summer Term Edition 2023. This edition was sent free of charge to every primary school in the country. A digital edition is also available via www.headteacher-update.com/digital-editions/
Further information & resources
- Cooper: A crisis on our doorstep, Barnardo’s, 2023: https://bit.ly/3ZYndoj
- Lea Forest Primary Academy: Reading at Lea Forest: http://bit.ly/3MC0sU3
- Longden et al: Shared Reading, British Medical Journal, 2015: https://bit.ly/3nXX4bP
- Lemov: Teach Like a Champion 3.0, Jossey-Bass, 2021.
- NLT: Children and young people’s access to books and educational devices at home during the cost-of-living crisis, 2023: https://bit.ly/3GwZBjy
- Ofsted: Inspection report: Lea Forest Primary Academy (December 2022): https://bit.ly/3HzTATP
- Simpson & Cremin: Responsible reading: Children’s literature and social justice, Education Sciences, 2022: http://bit.ly/3UykJfm
- Sullivan & Brown: Reading for pleasure and progress in vocabulary and mathematics, British Educational Research Journal (41), 2015: https://bit.ly/3Mt93IK