• Two young children smiling and looking at an e-reader
    Encouraging reading for pleasure together

    Whether by reading all together – or drawing on the amazing breadth of stories, characters, authors, illustrators, and formats out there – so long as their reading experience is a positive one, children can be encouraged on a lifelong reading journey. Debbie Hicks, Creative Director at The Reading Agency takes a look at how teachers and families can work together to get them going, helping young readers head in the right direction.

  • A young child is sat at a table, looking at an ipad, with classmates in the background
    The power of reading in schools

    How teachers can encourage reading for pleasure in the classroom

    When reading is fun it encourages real engagement, but the sad fact is not all children find it easy. For some children, reading is a challenge – which is why it is important for schools and families to support them to read for pleasure.

    Building on her recent blog on 'What superpowers can reading for pleasure give me?', The Reading Agency’s Creative Director, Debbie Hicks, shares some practical tips to encourage reading for pleasure in your school.

     

  • A young boy is sat next to an older man, looking at work together
    What superpowers will reading for pleasure give me?

    Reading for pleasure has lifelong benefits for all ages – children especially. As such, it sits at the heart of The Reading Agency’s mission and vision. Here Creative Director, Debbie Hicks, looks at the statistics behind those benefits, and discusses why reading for pleasure is so important.

  • Why reading for pleasure could be more powerful than you think

    If somebody told you that a child’s love of comics, or fascination with fairy-stories, had the power to change society for the better, would you think they were telling tall tales? In fact, the life-changing potential of reading for pleasure is no fiction.

  • Primary Update - End of term special

    Welcome to our special end of term Primary Update. Here we take a look at Bug Club Phonics DfE revalidation, newly revised Power Maths Reception resources and our free downloadable Summer Fun Activities pack. We also see what the DfE’s new Early Reading Framework document means for you and explore the key challenges and priorities of almost 3,000 teachers. 

  • Bug Club Phonics and DfE SSP Validation

    On 1 April, the DfE released updated essential core criteria for systematic synthetic phonics (SPP) programmes and announced that they were launching a validation process closing in March 2022.