We have (or had) DEAR. It's happening less now. The consensus seems to be that it's great for proficient readers but doesn't really help those who struggle because they need extra support.

@didau.bsky.social posted a thought-provoking substack on reading for pleasure last week.

So, I've mostly given up on the voluntary aspect with these readers. Instead, I'm using assigned reading time, but also aiming to help pupils choose books they'll enjoy. It sounds like follow-up research on your pupils would be interesting!

When I started working with struggling readers, I used to try to 'inspire' them to read at home, but it rarely worked. But they need practice if they are going to become fluent, so we now try to get parents on board with reading homework, and we're doing a peer reading scheme, which is going well.

Thanks for replying. Yes, I meant the lasting impact afterwards. It seems like they were really enthused and engaged, so it sounds really encouraging. I wondered if it had made any of them overcome that 'aversion to text' and pick up a book.

Really interesting, thanks for sharing. You're right, persuading teenagers with an aversion to reading to pick up a book is a big challenge! I'm interested to know whether you think some of these pupils are reading more in their free time, or is it more that they engage better with text at school?

Thanks for reposting! This post connects with your theme of wellbeing too - when teenagers learn to read well, it can have a huge impact on their confidence and wellbeing!

I work in a secondary school library and we use Librarika librarika.com It's free for small libraries up to 2000 books. As our library has expanded, we've had to upgrade to the paid version, but it's always been easy to use and reliable.

No problem at all – I enjoyed reading it and writing the review! Explaining why a letter is in a word is a really powerful tool when you’re dealing with teenagers who think the English language has been designed that way just to annoy them! Your book should be a really useful resource for teachers.

Highly recommended if you’re looking for some etymological half-term reading 😊 Full review here: www.theliteracyhub.co.uk/recommendati...

Also need to consider the lost learning time caused by testing. Every year I have to take time out of my job (which is to support struggling readers at secondary school!) to help out with administering national tests.