Bookbuzz Secondary: removing barriers to reading for fun

Bookbuzz Secondary is a BookTrust programme for secondary schools that lets students choose and keep a book they’ll love from a collection of 16 new titles, selected each year by BookTrust’s panel of reading experts, including practising teachers and school librarians. 

At The Oldham Academy North, Bookbuzz Secondary is given to every student in Years 7 and 8 – around 450 children in total. The school has found that engaging students with Bookbuzz Secondary during form time lets them capitalise on form tutors’ strong relationships with their students to help create a buzz around the programme. 

Lucy says: ​“Our students often form a strong attachment to a certain teacher. As teachers, we have a chance to become good role models for children, and for them to associate us with reading. Form tutors show their class the Bookbuzz Secondary video, and students later let them know which book they’d like to choose. 

“We also have a display of all the Bookbuzz Secondary books up in the school library, so they can come in, pick them up and have a flick through. We’ve had loads of extra footfall into the library because of this Bookbuzz Secondary display.” 

“Here, we introduce each book and give little snippets and tasters. This year, we also gave them the opportunity to create book covers based on what they thought each book was going to be like.” 

Lucy adds: ​“For our reluctant readers, we make sure not everything is about written work, but they can still do something creative that engages with a book. We find this works well for those who might not see themselves as readers.” 

This year, Lucy planned a special assembly to coincide with students being given their Bookbuzz Secondary books to keep. ​“The night before, I went around to all the different form groups with a list and the boxes of books – I felt like a little book fairy!” she says. 

“The next morning, form tutors gave out the Bookbuzz Secondary books, and we invited the students straight down to assembly. I did a reading-themed assembly around Bookbuzz Secondary – what it is, and why it’s important for us all to be readers. Students responded really well.”

Lucy adds: ​“We don’t want to just give them a book and for that to be the last we ever hear of it. Later on in the year, we’re asking them to review their Bookbuzz Secondary books. We have a reciprocal reading strategy, which gives students time to reflect on what they’ve read. We want to show them we still care about what they’re reading.” 

“There was the one student that asked me for the sequels of their Bookbuzz Secondary book,” says Lucy. ​“And I challenged one of my Year Eights to give me a crazy fact every day of the week from their Bookbuzz Secondary book – which they did. 

“We had a group of girls who all chose the same book and created a book club – and you could hear them having conversations about it. It’s been so rewarding to see them carrying their Bookbuzz Secondary books around school and reading them.” 

Lucy has also found Bookbuzz Secondary to be a great way to build relationships with parents and start conversations about reading at home. ​“We have very proudly displayed that we’re a BookTrust partner on the school website and we chat to parents about Bookbuzz Secondary when we have open evenings,” she says. 

“I also sent a letter out to all the parents whose children were receiving Bookbuzz Secondary with advice, such as questions and prompts they can ask their child whilst they’re reading the book.

“Creating that explicit engagement between parents, home and school has been rewarding. And it’s rewarding to hear students talking about how they’re enjoying reading, when they might not have ever picked up a book before.”