Secondary school reading audit

Building whole-school reading communities

Reading Connects secondary audit

Is your school a reading school?

This audit is a useful evaluation tool for you to review the current reading for pleasure provision in your school. It will show you how much you are doing already, give you new ideas and hopefully highlight other areas that you can focus on. You may like to print off the audit to share with colleauges or to keep and revisit at a later date to see where you have made progress.

Whole school

Your school Profile

Area of focus	Developing	Establishing	Enhancing
Whole school vision, policy and strategy
Whole-school strategy	Promoting reading for pleasure is part of the school improvement plan (SIP). One staff member leads on this and all staff are aware of this priority.	Promoting reading for pleasure is an ongoing part of the school strategy to raise standards and is an important part of the SIP. Staff are involved in delivering this strategy through programmes of study.	Promoting reading for pleasure is central to the school’s policy to achieve and enjoy. It forms an important foundation for improvement within the SIP.
Whole-staff engagement	All teaching staff actively promote reading in and out of lesson time.	Reading advocacy uses staff members as role models.	Reading celebration and advocacy involves all groups of the wider school community, including catering staff, caretakers, governors and parent groups.
Continuing professional development	School librarian has opportunities to attend training on promoting reading.	Adult/children’s book recommendations have a regular slot in staff briefings.	Providing ideas for promoting reading is integrated into the school’s Inset programme.
Cross-curricular links	Subject leaders compile topic booklists and teachers use some class time to promote reading related to curriculum areas.	Use of library for wider reading and research around topic areas is integrated into schemes of work across curriculum areas.	Curriculum delivery integrates developing reading independence and promoting reading for pleasure and research in class and beyond.
Monitoring pupils’ attitudes to reading	Information is collected from pupils with special educational needs through surveys to establish their attitude to reading and inform planning/support.	Information is collected from gifted and talented pupils and pupils from vulnerable backgrounds through surveys to establish their attitudes to reading and inform planning/ support.	All pupils’ attitudes to reading are monitored throughout KS3 and KS4 via journals or other methods. This information is used to personalise provision and meet individual needs.
Pupil involvement	Pupils’ opinions and recommendations are sought when planning reading for pleasure promotion.	Pupils are involved in planning and delivering the school’s reading for pleasure promotion.	Pupils are a central part and have a lead role in planning and delivering the school’s reading for pleasure promotion.
Reading promotion
Visibility of reading	The foyer, corridors and classrooms celebrate all types of reading, including pupil recommendations.	School publicity material, including websites and newsletters, promotes the importance of all types of reading.	Pupil involvement in ensuring the visibility of reading for pleasure throughout the school is maintained in both an imaginative and interactive way.
Peer-to-peer recommendation	Some peer-to-peer recommendation takes place between pupils.	A system for peer-to-peer reading recommendations (using the school ICT system) is established throughout the school community.	Pupils play an important role in running the system for peer-to-peer reading recommendation.
ICT	Pupils are encouraged to use the internet to post book reviews, recommend reading materials etc.	Pupils use multimedia to promote reading activity in the school.	School uses web technology to link with other schools on reading projects – for example, using video conferencing to develop international links.
Reading events and groups
Reading events	Reading is promoted during school events and in school assemblies.	Several reading events are held each year, linking in with national events such as World Book Day.	Reading promotion events take place regularly throughout the year involving all curriculum departments.
Reading groups	Pupil reading groups run regularly.	Special interest reading groups run regularly and/or groups are run that link in with national schemes, such as Carnegie, or local book awards.	Parents, staff and the wider school community take part in school reading groups. Pupils have a lead role in organising pupil reading groups.
Buddying	Some in-class or cross-year-group buddy reading takes place.	In-class, cross-year-group or primary-secondary school buddy reading takes place throughout school regularly.	Pupils are central to developing and sustaining school buddying scheme.
School library
School library/corner accessibility and display	Library is welcoming and resources are easily accessed.	Clear signage and interesting displays encourage library use with promotions related to the curriculum. Library is open throughout the school day.	School or class library is presented in bookshop style, and is also open beyond the school day.
Stock	As well as a good range of fiction and non-fiction titles, the school library stocks magazines, newspapers, comics etc.	Library has developed systems for promoting stock beyond the library – for example, book boxes for tutor rooms.	Library has a well stocked section for pupils’ parents/ carers and wider family members who are emergent adult readers.
Pupil involvement	Pupils are involved in suggesting and selecting some of the school’s reading resources, with pupils’ choices clearly marked.	Pupil librarians are trained to maintain and develop school library.	Pupil involvement in selection of school reading resources and library management is integral to the system.
Special interest groups
Boys	School promotes reading materials and booklists targeted at boys.	Boys’ reading clubs and reading events run regularly.	School runs an effective project involving boys promoting reading for all ages – for example, the Reading Champions scheme.
Pupils and families from diverse cultures and backgrounds	A range of dual language texts or appropriate materials reflecting pupils’ diverse cultures and backgrounds is available for pupils to borrow.	School systems promoting reading for pleasure and reading groups are established to meet the needs of pupils from diverse cultures and backgrounds.	Pupils and families from diverse cultures and backgrounds are involved in promoting reading to pupils.
Transition
Year 6 to 7	Specific ideas are used to ease transition – for example, Year 6 pupils send suggested holiday reads to their new school for display on their entry to Year 7. Procedures promote progression in reading from year to year.	Regular initiatives aid transition – for example, visits by Year 7 and older pupils for reading activities.	School develops a reading for pleasure strategy with feeder primary schools to ease transition, and pupils’ views are taken into account during planning.
Family involvement
Support	All parents/carers are made aware of the importance of encouraging their children to read and how the school can support them through materials eg booklists and top reading tips.	Communication methods are adapted to suit target group of parents/carers. Some parents/carers themselves are used as advocates.	Parents/carers are offered support sessions on supporting their children with reading at a wide range of levels. Regular feedback from parents/carers and pupils used to inform planning.
Family events and activities	Reading for pleasure is promoted during school events and activities to which family members/ carers are invited.	Family reading events/ activities are run during the year and some parents/carers are involved in the planning.	Family reading events/ activities are run for target groups – for example, dads, grandparents or EAL families.
Adult basic skills provision	Information is signposted for parents/carers to improve their literacy skills where appropriate.	Links are in place with family learning services to help identify parents and wider family members who struggle with literacy skills.	The services of a family learning coordinator are available in school to help parents/carers and wider family members improve their own literacy skills.
Community involvement
Working in partnership with other schools	School liaises with other schools in the area to develop and share reading for pleasure ideas.	School holds reading events with other schools.	School develops reading for pleasure strategies and shares good practice with a group of schools in the area as part of an authority-wide focus.
Public library / School Library Service (where appropriate)	School encourages pupils to use the public library, and displays information leaflets from library. School subscribes to SLS (where it exists).	Class visits to library and visits from the children’s librarian/SLS take place.	Joint projects and events are held by school and public library and/or SLS. Pupils are part of focus groups.
Involving organisations and adults from the community	Community members/organisations regularly support reading in school – for example, through a volunteer reading scheme.	School works with community organisations on project(s) to promote reading among pupils.	Community organisations, including possible business partnerships, are involved through coordinating reading activity in joint projects with schools.