Current statistics show that, among English pupils, girls are reading more than boys. But one Year 6 class at Pinehurst Junior School, Swindon, has bucked this national trend. Independent writer and consultant Pie Corbett visited to discover how.

We can all think of a thousand and one interesting things to do that will help boys' literacy. But it is rare to find something that can be shown to have worked.

However, last year at Pinehurst Junior School, teacher Jo Garton's Year 6 class improved reading ages beyond expectations and outperformed themselves in the SATs. I visited the school in December to find out what was happening. Jo warned me that it was "probably the most difficult class" she had taught.

I took with me a box of books and began talking about my favourites - Anthony Horowitz, Gary Paulsen and Morris Gleitzman. The children welcomed the mention of each author like old friends. I was keen to find out what Jo had been doing

At the start of term Jo had surveyed the children about their reading habits, preferred working methods and favoured rewards. This painted a typical picture - girls reading more than boys. From this initial information, Jo set about investigating the simple question: "What would help boys read more?" She succeeded - and here is how she did it.

Mentoring and models

Once a week pupils from the local secondary school visited to hear children read, discuss reading logs and 'talk books'. Mentors received some coaching and the school made use of posters showing men and women reading. A series of visitors spoke in assembly about reading - including a fireman, an RAF pilot and myself. The message was clear: reading is for living.

Rewards

Jo established a strong reward system to kick-fire the habit of reading: free time; certificates; book tokens; rulers and pencils. House points were awarded for being heard at home, the number of books read and log entries completed. Jo described reading logs to me as "closet comprehension" - they developed the habit of thoughtful, critical reading.

Getting the right books

The first 'class reader' of the year was Anthony Horowitz's The Falcon's Malteaser - designed to fire the children up with an exciting, fast-paced adventure story. The library already had a good range of books that girls were enjoying. Jo involved the children in selecting titles that would have particular 'boy' appeal. Favourites included Anthony Horowitz, Darren Shan, The Edge Chronicles, Lemony Snickett, Eoin Colfer and J.K. Rowling.

Jo told me that the children began to read like wolves: "One in the pack discovers a good book and then the others all follow. You don't need lots of books. Often a few copies of one good read can be helpful."

The class as a book club

Without knowing it, Jo's class were busy becoming an enthusiastic book circle. Good reads were passed on. Groups of children had their noses tucked into the same series. Excited discussions took place about what they were reading and the latest find. When I interviewed the children, it soon became obvious that the most important factor in their new found love of reading was their teacher's enthusiasm.

Weekly book recommendations helped to spread the buzz of excitement. Several children introduced a good read to the class and read an exciting extract. Jo modelled this - and used a frame to help structure the sessions.

What the children thought

All the children felt that they had improved at reading, enjoyed it much more and read more. Of course, by the end of the year we could see the impact of this in their improved reading ages (and yes, the best SATs results the school had achieved, reversing a gap of 31 per cent difference between girls and boys). They enjoyed the daily class reader, liked having books that they found exciting and valued guided reading as an opportunity for book talk, deepening their understanding. On a crude scale, their attitude to reading had moved from a three, to nine out of 10.

Jo's school is not in the leafy suburbs. I stayed talking with her till it was late, and the playground was dark as I lugged the box of books back to my car. As I drove home trying to circumnavigate Swindon, my mind was buzzing. One boy had written in his log book, "Ron was pants at divination". That may be so - but I knew that Jo was busy proving something valuable for us all. With the right ingredients, based on the children's needs, it is possible to fire up so many more children as readers, opening up their lives.

Subscribe to Literacy Today