Meet Nicky and Becky, two teachers who are determined to keep reading for pleasure alive in their school. Here, they share how Bookbuzz Secondary helps Year 7 and 8 students stay interested books at a critical time in their reading journey
Nicky (far left) and Becky (far right) with their colleague Megan (centre) and Bookbuzz Secondary books
“Wherever you are in the country, or whatever your demographic of students, every school has a hard time encouraging students to read,” says Nicky Cecere, Head of English at Red House School,an independent school in the village of Norton, County Durham.
“A lot of our students have books at home, but they don’t read them. If they walked into a bookshop, they wouldn’t know what to pick.
“They arrive here from Year 6 more open to reading and more excited by it. Then, by Year 8, they’re like: ‘Oh, this is something we have to do.’”
Reading for fun: “Bookbuzz Secondary keeps that momentum going”
At Red House School, every student in Years 7 and 8 participates in Bookbuzz Secondary, to help them find books they’ll enjoy.
The programme, designed by BookTrust in collaboration with teachers and librarians, lets students choose and keep a book from a selection of 16 titles, chosen by a panel of experts. These books introduce students to a wide range of diverse and inclusive modern reads and authors they may not have come across before.
English teacher Becky Stephenson says: “With Year 8s, that’s where you get that dip, when they stop reading. Bookbuzz Secondary keeps that momentum going. It means they’re not just getting a book in Year 7, but in Year 8 as well.”
Bookbuzz Secondary also supports students to learn how to find books they like. “It gets them talking about how to choose a book,” says Becky. “It shows them they can read the blurb and opening pages, and that this will help them decide whether that book is for them.”
Recommended reads for young people – chosen by experts
Nicky says: “Parents will say to us, ‘I don’t know how to get them into reading. Can you recommend some books?’ It can be really hard to get age-appropriate books. The 11–16 age range is huge, in terms of emotional and physical development, relationships, and what they know about the world.
“Bookbuzz Secondary creates this kind of portal to books they might be interested in. Knowing the books are from the right age category is helpful.”
Nicky Cecere, Head of English, Red House School
Becky adds: “It’s good for English teachers as well, because you can’t keep up with all the new books. Bookbuzz Secondary is a way of seeing what is out there.
“There’s a nice range of genres. There’s always something spooky in there, something challenging, and something that’s true to life. And then for some of the reluctant readers, there’s usually a graphic novel – for example, we had Stitch Head [by Guy Bass, illustrated by Pete Williamson] last year.”
The impact: genuine excitement to read
“When students are choosing their Bookbuzz Secondary book, they tick the bookmark that comes with the resources,” says Nicky. “Then, it’s quite funny, they’ll nag us, like: ‘When’s the book coming?’
“When the books arrive, and they see the big box, they get excited. We put their bookmark in their new book, with their name on it, and we hand them over in a lesson.
“We gave the books out before Christmas last time. I got them to write down the Bookbuzz Secondary books that they liked, but didn’t order, as Christmas present ideas to pass on to their parents.”
Nicky adds: “Bookbuzz Secondary creates that buzz, that genuine excitement to read among students.
“I think because they’ve put in the work beforehand – they’ve watched the Bookbuzz Secondary author video [with 30-second ‘pitches’ from the creators of each book], they’ve read the first page – it means that when that book arrives, it isn’t just going to sit on a shelf at home. They’re actually going to read it.”
