Dear Head Teacher,
We invite you to encourage your pupils to take up the Summer Reading Challenge.
It’s the UK’s biggest reading for pleasure programme for children aged 4 to 11, delivered via public libraries. Children can sign up at their local library or online – please see below for further details.
Last year, in Haringey, 1,736 children joined the Challenge.
You can make a huge difference by encouraging your pupils to take part. Contact your local library today. Please note: both Highgate Library and Muswell Hill Library are currently closed for major refurbishment works, so residents are advised to use either the recently refurbished Alexandra Park Library or Hornsey Library instead.
The Summer Reading Challenge:
- Significantly improves reading confidence andindependence
- Ensures pupils are ready for their return to school, preventing the summer reading ‘dip’
- Aids the successful transition between year groups and key stages
- Contributes to all pupils’ achievement
- Encourages extra-curricular activity – encouraging family engagement with reading
- Develops links between your school, the library and the wider community
For children who took part in 2022:
- 77% read more over the summer holidays
- 75% improved their reading skills
- 71% felt more confident about their reading
How it works:
- Children sign up through their local library and receive a collector folder.
- They set a reading goal and borrow books of their choice during the summer, collecting special stickers and incentives.
- Library staff and volunteers help children to discover new books that suit their interests and reading level and run a programme of free themed activities in the library.
- Children who complete the Challenge are presented with a certificate and a medal. You could organise a special assembly to present the certificates in the new term.
- Children can take part online, too! www.summerreadingchallenge.org.uk
- In Haringey, children who complete the 6 book challenge are entered into a prize draw to win one of three tablets!
Next steps:
– Visit the Summer Reading Challenge School Zone for more information and free resources.
– Send a newsletter to parents and carers with information about the Challenge. You can use the handy template here.
– Book a visit from your local library staff. We can tell your pupils more about the Challenge, and even present a special assembly.
Combining FREE access to books at local libraries with creative activities to take part in during the summer holidays, the Summer Reading Challenge is the perfect way to support your pupils’ learning during the holidays, ensuring they return ready for a great start to the new academic year.
Yours sincerely,
Jane Edwards,
Assistant Director for Schools and Learning,
Haringey Council.