Best Practice

Using the school library to engage and support less able readers

Reading and vocabulary Literacy Teaching resources School libraries
How can schools – and school libraries – help less able learners engage with reading and reading for pleasure? School Librarian of the Year Heather Grainger offers her top tips
Welcoming space: For all students, but especially those who are less positive readers, it is beneficial to use the library for activities that go beyond just books and reading - Adobe Stock

Recent research (Clark et al, 2024) shows that, sadly, fewer students than ever are reading for pleasure on a regular basis, with a knock-on effect on literacy and reading levels.

Too many students (and not just from one or two specific groups) are simply not engaging with reading. Engaging learners across all ages and abilities is often a challenge, however it is particularly tough with less able learners.

But this needn’t be the case and school libraries and librarians can play a key role in engaging these learners – if we can collectively help them to discover and develop a love of reading that will in turn enable them to develop skills across the curriculum.

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