Unrivalled support

There are two high-frequency themes that arise in the engagement of parents/guardians in the development of reading at home: reaching those that you really, really want to reach; and moving others away from thinking that listening to their child read more challenging words is the goal. This latter has a related issue: once the child can read independently, there can be a perception that no more parent-level engagement is required – and we’ll come back to that.

Who do we see in the imagined worlds of literature – do we see ourselves, and do we see others? 

Stop. Just stop whatever you are doing and go and have a look at the book corner in Year 5. What does it look like? What does it tell you about the reading culture in your school? What do the children think of it? Do they want to grab a book? Do they want to immerse themselves in a new world, a new dimension or a story about someone just like them?