Berkhamsted’s Reading Revolution

This World Book Day, we’re getting Berkhamsted talking about reading. While it is well known that reading is beneficial to academic progress across the curriculum, it also develops empathy and creativity. Reading for enjoyment is proven to promote happiness, health, mental wellbeing and self-esteem. But often we forget about these benefits and prioritise other activities before turning to reading for enjoyment.

The 2024 National Literacy Trust research indicates that only 1 in 3 (34.6%) children and young people aged 8-18 read for enjoyment in their free time. We’re starting a reading revolution by encouraging staff and pupils to engage in meaningful conversations about the books, characters, and authors that have had a great impact on them. Maybe there’s one book that got you out of a reading slump? Or a book that changed your perspective on a subject matter? Are there any characters you find particularly compelling, or loathsome? We’re sharing these powerful ideas within our community to celebrate the impact of reading – not only for now, but to shape the people we will all become.

Our theme this year’s World Book Day is “books that have shaped us”. Yesterday, we held a book swap where pupils could bring in a book that had a great impact on them, that they hope will go on to inspire, entertain or provoke thought in a fellow pupil. Pupils picked a book from the collection to take home, so we could celebrate reading as a collective. The event sparked some great conversations about the impact of books and encouraged pupils to Be Adventurous in their reading. Thank you to everyone who donated a book for continuing our reading revolution!