School head wants to buck low literacy trend

Pupils are St Augustine's are encouraged to read for fun on the school's dedicated "book bus"

The head teacher of a city junior school said he was on a mission to make "lifelong readers" out of his pupils.

St Augustine's Junior School in Peterborough is located in an area where pupil literacy rates were below the national average.

Research by the Literacy Trust showed just two-thirds of pupils in the city finished primary school at the expected reading level.

"We really want to buck that trend as much as possible," said headteacher Sam Brunt.

Head teacher Sam Brunt said the school's diversity presented "lots of opportunities"

The school has pupils from 32 countries of origin with 35 different languages spoken, which Mr Brunt said posed some challenges but also "presents lots of opportunities".

"Looking back, I probably had quite a sheltered upbringing, whereas the good thing about our school is we've got loads of opportunities to share different beliefs and different languages," he said.

Teachers at the school encouraged reading with an outdoor book bus in the school's garden, which the children are free to use during break time.

They also have a dedicated session each day where a teacher reads a story, which deputy head and English lead Jen Brattan said was "a priority".

"We host reading cafes where we get as many parents into school as possible to teach them about the importance of reading," she said.

"It's easy to think you don't need to read with [older] children anymore, and we send that message that no matter what age your child is, they love to sit down and enjoy a book with an adult."

Jen Brattan said parents played an important role in encouraging their children to read

Research by the Literacy Trust shows reading for fun enhances young people's academic performance as well as their wellbeing and empathy.

It said just one in five young people aged between five and 18 read for enjoyment, a figure which was a "concerning" all-time low.

Five wards in Peterborough were deemed to be in the top 10% of wards in the country with the greatest "literacy need", according to the trust.

St Augustine's has several pupils who act as reading champions by encouraging their peers to get involved in reading for fun.

Ruslans, a year six pupil, said: "I like reading because it makes you feel like you're in your own dream that you can control."

Emilija, in year five, said: "When you sit down with your book, you feel nice and relaxed," while Ellie, in the same year group, said: "I like reading because it helps me learn new vocabulary, and helps me to go in different worlds."

There are 35 different languages spoken at the junior school in Peterborough

Peterborough City Council said it was working with families and schools to try and tackle low literacy rates, especially in more deprived areas.

Katy Cole, the cabinet member for children's services, said: "There is a challenge, which could be working patterns [or] it could be access to books."

She said the council was working with schools where literacy levels were lower to come up with an improvement plan and encourage those doing well to share best practice.

"Teachers are very good at magpie-ing," said Cole, who has been a teacher for 20 years.

"They see an initiative that works in one school, take it on board, thinking 'how can I implement that in my own setting?'"