From the Head of Junior School

The Power of Reading: Building Strong Foundations in the Junior School

Reading is more than just a fundamental skill; it's a gateway to imagination, knowledge, and lifelong learning. In the Early and Primary Years, fostering a love for reading is crucial, as it sets the stage for academic success and personal growth. Our teachers use picture books and quality novels right from Pre K to Year 6, and all of our teachers enjoy sitting down with a good picture book – no matter our age!

Why Reading Matters

Research underscores the profound impact of reading on children's development. A study by the National Literacy Trust found that children who enjoy reading tend to have higher reading scores. Additionally, positive early reading experiences are linked to improved cognitive and emotional skills, such as better emotional regulation and stronger friendships. An enjoyment of reading fosters strong reading skills which are crucial for a life of inquiry and learning.

Challenges in Reading Engagement

Despite its importance, reading enjoyment among primary school children is on the decline. Data from BookTrust reveals that by the end of primary school, only 51% of children express a love for reading. This trend highlights the need for intentional efforts to make reading a pleasurable and engaging activity. In a few weeks we’ll be taking part in the National Simultaneous Storytime. On Wednesday 21 May at 11am, hundreds of thousands of Australian children will all stop and listen to a wonderful story together. This year’s story is “Truck Cat” by Deborah Fennell. In Term 3 we’ll celebrate Book Week too, and look forward to reading many of the books shortlisted by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. These experiences are designed to foster a love and enjoyment of reading.

Strategies to Encourage Reading

School and home are encouraged to work together to promote reading:

Diverse Reading Materials: Our libraries are always looking to include diversity in our range of books. We’ve even begun to invest in some multi-language books, reminding our readers that stories are enjoyed by children all over the world.
Shared Reading Time: We allocate time for reading together at school to model great reading habits. We show the children that reading is sometimes for learning, sometimes for being challenged, sometimes for laughing and sometimes purely for fun!
Create a Reading-Rich Environment: Classrooms and homes should have lots of books in them! Fight the screens with books – remind your children to be borrowing regularly from our school libraries or pick up books for free in the many street libraries around the Blue Mountains, or borrow them from our council libraries.

Reading – a Challenge and a Joy

I wanted to finish off by commending the students in our school who find learning to read tricky. It’s a complex skill with many interwoven parts working together, and not something that happens naturally or quickly for all children. Every child in our school is on their own learning journey – there’s no race to be fastest, or first, but rather just to keep going. Many of our children receive extra support at school in small groups or individually to learn and practise the skills to become readers. The staff who work with these children feel privileged to be able to do so, and regularly tell me about the strides those children are making. Thank you to all the Teachers, and our Educators who work with these children in particular – Mrs Boros, Mrs Shields, Mrs Clark, Mr Loggenberg and Mr Illingworth. Learning to read is one of the most profoundly important things we do in the Junior School and reminds me – for Mother's Day, a cup of tea and a good book will be the perfect way to spend the day.

Rachael J Newton

Assistant Principal – Head of Junior School