DROWNING IN BOOKS
A celebration of books in every classroom – Jonathan Brough, Headteacher
When I make decisions that shape and develop my
school, I work from two core premises: first, that
good teachers never forget what a privilege it is to
be entrusted with a child’s education. They know
that all pupils must grow and develop into the most
happy, successful and fulfilled people that they can
possibly be. Second, if you wander into any library
or bookshop, you encounter individuals with certain
common characteristics. They are smiling. They have
achieved that happiness, success and fulfilment.
They are fortunate. They are blessed. This is because
they have been told one of life’s great secrets: if you
love books, you can not only learn, but you can also
unwind. You can escape.
A sea of literature must surround
children, inviting them to dive in
and explore new territories
So, at the heart of any school, there must be books.
An eternal festival of books should be celebrated in
every classroom – a sea of literature (both fictional
and factual) must surround all pupils, inviting them
to dive in and explore new territories, forging new
friendships and fresh discoveries. Books should
feature in all lessons, clubs and assemblies . . . and,
of course, there should be a blend of comforting
favourites with exciting discoveries.
Exploring the
range of living things? Share Jan Brett’s The ThreeLittle Dassies. Contemplating the nature of God?
Gain an extra insight from Douglas Wood’s Old
Turtle. Investigating circles? Put it all into context
with Cindy Neuschwander’s Sir Cumference and the
Dragon of Pi. Finding a few unexpected guests in a
French lesson? Time to reach for Pef’s Rendez-moi
mes poux! Yes, from time to time schools may make
exciting, inventive use of an extract from a good
work – this is nothing new, teachers have always
done it for comprehension activities – but it’s not
a book, and the satisfaction of a gripping narrative
can only be found in a full published work. Books
are where true value lies.
Of course, a school’s book stock is never big
enough, and budgeting decisions have to reflect
a commitment to providing the best: at my school,
one of our pupil committees is empowered to check
that we have all the titles every child wants on our
shelves... and if something is missing, we order it that
day. We ensure children recommend books to each
other, and we welcome visiting authors to speak
to children about their work: in Autumn 2010, Nick
Butterworth, Ali Sparkes, Tim Bowler and Jeremy
Strong came through our doors. We still run regular
visits to our local community library (when did those
disappear from most schools’ timetables?) and
actively encourage pupils to become full members,
capitalising on incentives such as the summer
reading challenges.
Our children love books. They love reading. They love
thinking. They love life.