P8

Get boys reading!

Working as an education consultant/adviser over 15 years, I found boys’ reading ages consistently below their actual ages, making it harder for them to access the curriculum. Poor literacy also contributes to cultural and socioeconomic deprivation.

My response has been to develop Get Boys Reading, to address boys’ attitudes to reading and learning in general.

The programme has been developed on the premise that all boys (and girls) have been taught to read, but they do not always practise this important skill, so do not become competent, confident readers and are less likely to read for pleasure.

Get Boys Reading aims to get boys reading regularly, in a safe environment and – most importantly – reading materials they enjoy. It promotes reading as a peer-group activity to counter any notion that it is not a masculine pastime.

What we’ve achieved

The programme has been a success both qualitatively and quantitatively – and several myths have been debunked.

The successes include:

• many boys completing a whole book for the first time

• not one boy has said: “This is boring”

• there has never been a problem with the boys staying on task for an hour

Continued on p9