We have an exciting new opportunity this year for KS3 students – a chance to enter ‘The Friary Big Read 2023’ launching on Monday 2 October.

This reading challenge encourages students in Years 7, 8, and 9 to read at least one book per half term this academic year. These books have been specially selected to interest their age group and introduce them to a range of different genres. From mystery, to romance; covering sports and real teenager’s diaries – there’s something to interest everyone and hopefully some new genres to explore too.

The 10 books in the challenge have multiple copies waiting to be borrowed from our school library and will be available in your local library also.

Once your child reads the book, they need to go to Satchel One and click on the Microsoft Forms link. This will take them to a quick survey and prompt them to complete a short, fun task based on their reading. This form allows the English Department to build a reading profile for individual students and introduce them to books they might enjoy if they enjoyed the book they have just finished. At the end of the year, we will be able to provide parents with a list of books your child has shown an interest in to encourage them on their reading journey.

Once they finish one, they move onto another! We know a lot of our Year 7, 8 and 9 students will succeed and read 6 books over the course of this academic year.

Students who complete the challenge, and read 6 of the 10 books over the course of this academic year, will receive 60 House points, a certificate, and be entered into a prize draw to win one of the 6 £15 vouchers which are redeemable in a range of online and high street shops. Those who exceed this, and read all 10, will receive a further 40 house points, another certificate, a sweet treat, and be entered into the draw for one of 4 £20 vouchers.

English teachers will go through all the details in class, and if in doubt, students can find Mrs Wright in the English Department or one of the librarians for more details.

Abbi Wright, project leader, said “Why should you encourage your children to get involved ? The positives of reading are endless. There have been countless studies conducted which show that the more a student reads outside of school, the better their progress in school across all subjects. Such studies also prove that reading for pleasure also helps students personal, emotional and social development. There is also evidence which proves there is a positive relationship between reading frequency, reading enjoyment and attainment. All studies are readily available online and come down to this: the more children read, the more they enjoy it. The more they read, the more they achieve.”

To learn more about ‘The Friary Big Read 2023’ click here.