By Mrs Johns (English Teacher)

This week, we are excited to launch the Read to Succeed awards for our Year 7 students BGS. These awards are not just about reading, they are about growth. By completing all fifteen awards, students will not only expand their reading horizons but also enhance their comprehension and critical thinking skills. Each award is carefully designed to challenge students to explore genres they might not have encountered before, fostering a love for reading that will last a lifetime.

The Literacy Trust's 2023 study found that just 2 in 5 (43.4%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time. Yet regularly reading for pleasure has a whole array of benefits for young people. Reading can boost the mental health of teenagers and even improve GCSE grades. More than that, a good book can transpose us across time, even universes and place us in another world and even another life.

While the digital age offers instant information and bite-sized video content, we believe in the power of a good book. We have created the Read to Succeed Awards, to incentivise students to challenge themselves to make time for their reading and read beyond their usual genres.

Each term, we will add new reading recommendations here, which are carefully chosen to align with the themes explored in the Year 7 English curriculum. This term, the focus is Great Girls in Literature. Ms Rogers (LRC Manager), has put together a tremendous list of age-appropriate titles here available to borrow from the LRC that can all count toward achieving Read to Succeed awards.

At BGS, we want our students to soar and become the creative thinkers, change-makers, and problem-solvers of the future. To achieve this, they must develop their communication, comprehension and understanding of the world they will change for the better; in short, they should read to succeed.