It's like a giant book club': how schools are getting children excited about reading again

"Research has shown there is a reading for pleasure crisis among children in the UK, where enjoyment of books has fallen to its lowest level in two decades. Not so here at Christ Church primary, a tiny Church of England school tucked behind the maze of HS2 construction works in Camden, north London, where children fizz with excitement about books."

"Last month the queen, who is the patron of the National Literacy Trust (NLT), visited to open a brand new library, funded by Bloomberg, in the school playground the first to be opened in the government's National Year of Reading, a UK-wide initiative aimed at reversing the decline in reading enjoyment."

"From the outside, it looks like a large, well-kept shed. Open the doors and there are colourful shelves bursting with new books, toadstools to sit on, a leaf-patterned soft carpet and a hidey-hole reading den where children can curl up to read."

Christ Church primary school in Camden demonstrates exceptional success in promoting reading enjoyment among children, contrasting sharply with a UK-wide reading crisis where book enjoyment has fallen to its lowest level in two decades. The school recently opened a new library in its playground, funded by Bloomberg and officially opened by the Queen as part of the National Year of Reading initiative. The library features colorful shelves, comfortable seating including toadstools and a reading den, and diverse book collections. Children at the school enthusiastically engage with various reading materials, from comic books like InvestiGators to chapter books such as Little Women and Kid Normal. The school's success reflects years of collaborative work with the National Literacy Trust to cultivate reading culture among families on nearby estates.

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