Fun and accessible for all: how Bookbuzz can help your school

Published on: 17 May 2017

Our reading programme is suitable for all Year 7 and 8 students, whatever their interest, reading ability or additional learning needs. Here's how it can get your class excited about books.

Reading plays a vital role in improving educational outcomes, enhancing wellbeing and boosting self-esteem. Finding the perfect book for your students can be a challenge, especially if you are supporting children with a wide range of needs.

Here's how Bookbuzz will help make the task easier.

Right book for every child

Our panel of experts specially select a wide range of high-quality books for Bookbuzz. They make sure the programme is fully inclusive and suitable for a variety of readers, including those with additional needs or who find larger books a challenge.

Bookbuzz includes five accessible titles, carefully chosen by additional needs consultants. These books are not included in the mainstream school launch pack but all students can select any of the 17 titles, regardless of their school type.

We want to help every student find the right book for them and get excited about reading.

This year's five accessible titles

• The Croc and the Sock by Claire Evans
• The Awesome Book of Awesomeness by Adam Frost
• Is There a Dog In This Book? by Viviane Schwarz
• The Bad Guys: Episode 1 by Aaron Blabey
• Ocean Animals by Johnna Rizzo

'Something for everyone'

Special school Head of Literacy Gareth Brown says all of his students can join in with Bookbuzz, no matter what their ability:

'As part of the Bookbuzz programme, all special schools receive a complete set of all 17 Bookbuzz titles. I have found this really useful in helping our pupils choose their own books - they can see the books, feel the books, or listen to a sample of the books. We can help guide them towards the titles which we feel will suit their needs best, whether it be a simple picture book or a high interest book with a low reading age.

'Particularly popular are books that are accompanied by an audio CD, which enable pupils with good cognitive understanding of stories to access a book independently through listening via headphones, even if they cannot read the text themselves.Our pupils are always very excited about the arrival of their Bookbuzz books!'

Bookbuzz is great for supporting students who have English as an additional language, dyslexia or simply a low interest in reading. Every year, we provide reluctant reader titles that appeal to both boys and girls. These particular books are a great way to engage struggling readers or entice those who perhaps have little or no interest in reading.

Bookbuzz veteran and school librarian Alison Bugg says that the inclusive books reach out to all students:

'Pupils want to read a variety of books and Bookbuzz gives a selection that will suit every reading taste. The quality of the books really helps encourage students to read for pleasure - there's always something for everyone on the list no matter what ability!'

So whether you're a mainstream school or a special school, why not get your Year 7 and 8 students participating in this year's Bookbuzz, so they can find the perfect book for them.