After the success of the first of these events last year, pupils in Years 7-10 enjoyed a day where every lesson began with a few minutes of quiet reading with Drop Everything and Read Day.
Every class took part in the initiative in all subjects, with teachers also joining in. There were no restrictions (other than the school’s normal safeguarding policies) on what pupils could choose to read, with many choosing fiction or non-fiction titles from the Library’s 13,000-strong collection. Choices were varied, with genres including adventure, mystery, action, historical fiction, family and relationships, comedy, along with plenty of non-fiction.
In a timely coincidence, the event was held just after publication of a National Literacy Trust survey that revealed that the number of children and young people who say they enjoy reading, and read daily, in their free time continues to decline, so the extra encouragement was even more important.
Henrietta Englefield, Librarian, said: “It was wonderful to have virtual silence in the classroom blocks, as all the students started their lessons by reading on Wednesday. Both students and teachers agreed that the calm and quiet start to each lesson helped prepare the students to learn. As Librarian, I was delighted by the focus on reading across the school, at a time when children nationally are reading less. It is well documented that reading is correlated with academic success, and Colfe’s puts a strong focus on giving students both time and space to read, with regular Library lessons for the first three years at the senior school.”
Tim Newberry, Head of Music, echoed the sentiment, saying that “the calm at the start of each class meant that the students were focused and quiet, which was particularly good when students were coming in from playing out of doors at break times”.
Pupil feedback was also overwhelmingly positive, with enthusiastic responses from even self-confessed ‘reluctant’ readers:
“I don’t normally spend loads of time reading so this has definitely encouraged me to read more.”
Keira, Y10
“It put me in the mindset to learn”
Felix, Y8
“Reading is great because not only is it fun but it also helps improve your schoolwork and vocabulary.”
Seb, Y7
“An amazing day to show your passion for reading and enjoy yourself.”
Benedict, Y8
“Today has helped everyone relax and calm down at the start of the lesson, which was especially good after break.”
Maria, Y7
“I do normally like reading but don’t always make enough time to do it at home, so this is good as it’s given us a bit more time to read when we wouldn’t otherwise.”
Maggie, Y10
“I don’t always get enough time to read at home as there are so many other things to do but today has meant we can devote a bit of time to it.”
Charlie, Y8
“This has helped quieten down the class and definitely made me remember to read more.”
Jack, Y8
