Devon gets reading professional conference and workshop

MORE THAN 100 people attended the Devon Gets Reading conference which provided an inspiring climax to the National Year of Reading in the county.

Devon County Council launched Devon Gets Reading to mark the national celebration.

A number of events were staged throughout the year and the conference - which was attended by heads, teachers, learning support assistants, county education advisors, children’s workers, CYPS and library staff - focused on creating a reading policy and strategy for the whole of Devon and allowing people working in different sectors in the same geographic area to make contacts.

It was also agreed to begin developing an action plan to promote the enjoyment of reading in each area of Devon.

The conference, at Sandy Park in Exeter, was opened by Devon County Council Chief Executive Phil Norrey.

He said the Devon Gets Reading year had only been the beginning of a process that he wanted the county council to develop.

“I am hoping this conference will be the launch pad that we can build on to embed reading in the culture of the county,” he said.

“And that’s not only because reading can be such a real pleasure in itself but because research shows in communities and societies where reading for pleasure is a key characteristic, there tends to be a much better economic performance as well.”

The conference’s keynote speaker was Debra Myhill, the Head of Exeter University's School of Education, and an international expert on reading.

She said developing a pleasure in reading was something that started in the home well before school.

For a child, sharing a book with an adult was not only about being read a story  but also enjoying the pleasure of contact with them and conversation about the characters and the pictures.

Reading standards in England were better than in almost any other country but research showed we did not enjoy reading as much. Ofsted had found secondary schools were not always successful in helping pupils to read widely and for pleasure out of school.

That was because we lived in a world of soundbites where we tended to use extracts and texts as good examples and where this was perpetrated by the testing agenda.

Children should get more time to read for pleasure without any consequence or end result being required, she said.

Professor Myhill said she had a number of questions for schools:

Where do you do it?

Creating the right environment was important and secondary schools and libraries could learn from primary schools by setting up reading corners, installing sofas and comfy chairs in libraries, making space for reading in outside spaces and corridors and erecting colourful displays.

There should be spaces where quiet reading could happen but also spaces where children could be noisy and talk about their reading with each other.

Who do you do it with?

Schools could organise book clubs, regular visits from authors and facilities where children could make recommendations about books. They might get book boxes from publishers where the children could read review copies of books that had not yet been published which always made them feel special.

The children should see their teachers reading and schools should always get staff to join in with reading events.

Why do you do it?

All reading mattered and all reading counted, said Professor Myhill. It may be that schools had to tap in to what the children were already reading or use the internet to get them to read more widely.

Professor Myhill concluded by urging schools to place reading at the heart of their policies. It was not just the job of English teachers and librarians.

“Try to involve all members of staff from the caretaker to the headteacher,” she said.

“Work in partnership with families to encourage reading at home and link up with the local community to develop a local, coordinated approach.

“Make reading as visible as possible in the school environment,” she said.

The conference continued with short sessions from Jenny Liggins and Anne Hudson in Early Years, Janet Ferris from the primary sector, Jenny Thorns from Adult Education, Olivia Wilson from Special Education, Ciara Eastell from the Library Service, Kate O’Neill from English as an Additional Language and Ruth Newman from ACL, highlighting good practice in promoting reading.

Then author Mal Peet rounded off the day with a humorous and informal speech.

Devon Gets Reading coordinator Roger Kirk said: "We are now looking forward to how we can continue to promote the enjoyment of reading after the national and local campaigns come to an end.

"We are asking each Learning Community in Devon and the Children's Centres, libraries and Adult Learning centres within each community to come up with a series of key action points to promote reading for enjoyment."

Conference presentations

• Debra Myhill - A Celebration of Reading: National Year of Reading (256KB - pdf help)
• Janet Ferris - Every Child a Reader - Devon Education Services (486KB - pdf help)
• Ciara Eastell - Public libraries and their work with readers (93KB - pdf help)

Conference evaluation

• Evaluation and analysis (136KB - pdf help)