8 ways schools promote reading for pleasure

Get everyone on the same page when it comes to a love of reading, and be inspired to create a school-wide book buzz with these strategies, resources and initiatives from schools and organisations.

Updated
on 30 August 2024
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 5501
Contents
  1. Challenge pupils to read a diverse range of books
  2. Link reading to other areas of your curriculum
  3. Create appealing reading spaces throughout your school
  4. Make reading a group activity
  5. Encourage reading during the school holidays
  6. Celebrate books through national initiatives
  7. Publish your reading lists online to engage families
  8. Host a book fair

Please note that the inclusion of any commercial products and/or initiatives in this article doesn’t constitute an endorsement from The Key. 

Challenge pupils to read a diverse range of books

Parklands Primary School’s engaging reading challenge has won a reading for pleasure award (with a certificate signed by bestselling author Philip Pullman). 

If pupils read 10 books from different genres, including a story from a different culture, they get to choose a free book from the school’s vending machine.

Author Brian Abram observed during a visit that the school’s commitment to reading for pleasure shone through in the way pupils engaged curiously with him about his stories and his use of a wheelchair. 

This is explained in the school’s award letter, which you can view via the link above. 

Use pupils’ ages as motivation 

It encourages pupils to read