Studies show that reading for pleasure makes a big difference to children’s educational performance as a child’s reading skills are important to their success in school; their literacy level impacts on their success in all other subject areas. Children with good literacy skills do well in other subjects as they are able to comprehend more easily and to express their ideas and knowledge, both verbally and in writing more fluently.

As children develop their reading skills they also develop their reading comprehension, that is, their ability to understand a written passage of text. It is the bridge between being a passive reader who takes nothing from what they have just read and an active reader who engages with what they are reading and who reads with an open and questioning mind.

This is the crucial link to effective reading that is essential for a positive academic, professional and personal life.

At SJB we encourage students to read for at least 20 minutes every day – they do this twice a week in form time and then at other times across the week during lessons. We ask parents to encourage their children to read at home – it doesn’t matter whether they pick up a fiction or non-fiction text, autobiography, football annual or comic book, it’s the time spent reading that matters! All our students have access to a wealth of articles on “The Day” via a link on their iPad – this is a great place to start if you don’t have any books to hand at home.

The SJB Book Club for KS3 students encourages students to read a wide range of texts for pleasure and rewards them when they do. Below you can find links to our recommended reading lists.

Year 7 Mastery Reading ListYear 8 Mastery Reading List

If none of the books on our reading lists catch your eye, then you may like to try the Bookfinder. This tool allows you to search by reading age and theme to get a selection of bespoke recommendations just for you.