 Click on the sub-headings below to find out more about Reading Connects. If you have any further enquiries, visit the contact us page of this site.
What is Reading Connects?
Who is Reading Connects for?
The Reading Connects website
What are the benefits of signing up to Reading Connects?
What do schools think about Reading Connects?
Reading Connects member organisations
Reading Connects is an initiative funded by the Department for Children, Families and Schools and delivered by the National Literacy Trust. It supports primary and secondary schools in building a whole-school reading community. Reading Connects is more of an approach, than a project with specific criteria. It encourages you to embed a holistic creative approach to promoting reading for pleasure into your school’s policies, vision and good practice, integrating the following elements:
- place reading for pleasure at the heart of the school's policy to raise standards and promote enjoyment in learning
- involve all members of staff, including catering staff, the caretaker, governors and parent groups in promoting reading
- work in partnership with your pupils' families to encourage reading in the home
- work with local organisations (particularly your SLS and/or public library), as well as other schools
- make reading as visible as possible within the school environment
- learn from and share your good practice with the Reading Connects network of schools and organisations
It is free to join and you can sign up by clicking on join in the left-hand menu. Once signed up, you will be sent a welcome pack in the post. It is then up to you how you go about developing Reading Connects in your school – we won’t be monitoring you or setting you any targets. The getting started section of the website will help you with planning and development. Join Reading Connects today.
Reading Connects’ target audience is principally primary and secondary schools. However, other organisations that can join the Reading Connects network include: supplementary schools, sporting organisations and post-16 colleges.
Following the success of Reading Connects, we have developed an equivalent model to support practitioners working with babies and children (birth to five), Early Reading Connects. The project has a particular focus on involving families in developing a love of reading. If you would like to sign your school up to this initiative as well, visit www.earlyreadingconnects.org.uk.
Furthermore, we also encourage primary and secondary strategy consultants, School Library Services and colleagues from local authorities to sign up as Reading Connects partners. To find out more about becoming a Reading Connects partner, visit the partner pages of this website.
The Reading Connects website is free to use and can be accessed by everyone. As you can see on the left-hand menu, the Reading Connects approach is divided up into eight areas of focus. These are also the areas of focus that you will find in the audit and the handbook. As you enter each area on the website, you will see that there is a practical ideas, resources and case studies section to support you in your development. In addition to using the website, you are encouraged to sign up and become a Reading Connects school. Join Reading Connects today.
 The
right to call yourself a Reading Connects school and be a
part of a national initiative
Your school will receive a Reading Connects certificate and a hard copy of the Reading Connects handbook and family involvement toolkit
Access to the Reading Connects logo
The opportunity to become part of the Reading Connects network and create your own blog
Ongoing support from Reading Connects
Visit
our quotes page and find out what schools and local authority partners think about being part of Reading Connects.
When Reading Connects was created in 2004, it went through an important consultation process with a large number of organisations in the field of education and literacy. These organisations continue to meet twice a year to discuss the development of the initiative. Find out more information about the Reading Connects member organisations.
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