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Blog Posts: 1–11 of 294
  1. Supporting Reading for Pleasure in Schools

    Supporting Reading for Pleasure in Schools

    Posted on: Feb 07, 2024
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    Developing a reading-for-pleasure culture in our school communities requires more than encouraging children to pick up a book and read right now. While this is a fantastic and worthwhile starting point, the ripple effect of nurturing avid readers who choose to read, rather than read because they are told to, goes far beyond the here and now so a whole-school approach is most likely to be successful. 

    Children who read for fun are more likely to be happy and successful in life. (The Reading Agency, 2023)

    The benefits of reading for pleasure for children (and adults!) are widely heralded and strongly supported by extensive studies, compelling statistics, and irrefutable research...

  2. Six Ways Reading Can Improve Wellbeing

    Six Ways Reading Can Improve Wellbeing

    Posted on: Jan 30, 2024
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    In 2023, 1 in 5 eight to sixteen-year-olds were identified as having a probable mental disorder.

    (Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023  — wave 4 follow up to the 2017 survey  — NHS Digital)

    Despite these concerning figures, mental health is still not given the attention it deserves. Just over one in three children and young people with a diagnosed mental health condition get access to NHS care and treatment, leaving the majority with little to no support.

    Teachers and librarians can play a pivotal role in aiding young people experiencing mental health difficulties, especially because reading literature can be an effective tool to support and improve mental health.

  3. Parental Engagement — Reading at Home

    Parental Engagement — Reading at Home

    Posted on: Jan 18, 2024
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    The single biggest way to support children academically and emotionally at home is to encourage them to read. The importance of fostering a positive relationship between home and school is highlighted by Ofsted in their ‘Schools and Parents’ report (2011) –

    “Parental engagement can be a powerful lever for raising achievement in schools and there is much research to show the value of schools and parents working together to support pupils’ learning.”

    This is a guide to help boost reading confidence by encouraging families to have fun sharing books at home, even after children start to read on their own.

    Reading together in a fun and relaxed way not only helps children get hooked on reading, but it is also one of the best ways for families to bond, spend quality time together and make memories that will last a lifetime. Sharing books with children and talking about the story will also help to deepen u

  4. Windows and Mirrors: Author Q&A with Katharine Quarmby

    Windows and Mirrors: Author Q&A with Katharine Quarmby

    Posted on: Nov 07, 2023
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    Windows and Mirrors is a brand-new series of 6 engaging and thought-provoking titles that will offer a powerful opportunity to open conversations, challenge bias and prejudice, foster a sense of community, and build resilience. Written by award-winning writer, editor and journalist, Katharine Quarmby, these titles can act as ‘mirrors’, reflecting the reader’s own experiences to help them feel heard and understood, as well as ‘windows’, where students are given an insight into lives different from their own. Set in an inner city school, each book looks at the experience of a student who is going through a difficult time. The books navigate the reader through hardships and signpost how to access, or offer, help. Although the books can be hard-hitting, the subjects examined are expertly and sensitively handled.

    We spoke with author Katharine Quarmby about the series:

     

    Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your series ‘Windows and Mirrors’? Were there re

  5. Meet the Requirements of the new Reading Framework with Badger Learning

    Meet the Requirements of the new Reading Framework with Badger Learning

    Posted on: Sep 27, 2023
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    The government’s Reading Framework first published in 2021 has now been updated.  A considerable amount of new information has been provided in the 2023 update. The document originally focused on Reception and key stage one, but now contains advice for developing reading in key stage 2 and 3.  The introduction to the document states that its key objective is “to help schools to meet the expectations set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework and the national curriculum.”  At over 170 pages long, it is a lengthy read containing detailed advice divided into thirteen sections. The following overview highlights its key content and implications for the teaching of reading, together with just the right books to help you meet these new requirements.

    &

  6. WOW! Fiction: New Progressively Levelled Series

    WOW! Fiction: New Progressively Levelled Series

    Posted on: Sep 20, 2023
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    WOW! Fiction is a brand-new, progressively levelled series of short, gripping and fast-paced stories which will captivate readers. The dyslexia-friendly design incorporates features such as super-readable fonts, clear line spacing, off-white backgrounds and bite-sized chunks of text to ensure success and build reading confidence. We offer five books at each level, allowing students to practice and consolidate their skills before moving on to more challenging texts or alternatively, they can choose freely within the range. We offer books at turquoise, purple and gold levels (reading ages 6–6.5) with an interest age of 9–14.

    WOW! Fiction follows on from our best-selling WOW! Facts series and each book can be paired with a non-fiction counterpart on the same theme, such as Exploring Space, Ancient Egypt or Fighter Planes. Some students may want to learn more about a topic, and we’ve ensured that they can access a non-fiction book at the same level, providing an opportunity to ex

  7. Supporting readers with dyslexia in secondary schools

    Supporting readers with dyslexia in secondary schools

    Posted on: Sep 15, 2023
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    Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that affects around 10% of the population in the UK, which is an estimated 970,000 school-aged children. Approximately 70–80% of these students have difficulty with reading, writing and spelling.

    In secondary school, the increased demands of learning can make it challenging for dyslexic students to succeed. These challenges may not only affect their academic performance but also their confidence and self-esteem. A survey conducted by the British Dyslexia Association found that almost half (49%) of young people with dyslexia in the UK reported having low confidence in their abilities at school.

    A study by the British Dyslexia Association found that dyslexic students are twice as likely to leave school without qualifications. However, a study by the University of Oxford found that dyslexic students who receive appropriate support are just as likely to succeed in school as their non-dyslexic peers.

    These studies show that it i

  8. Badger Book Awards 2023 — The Winners

    Badger Book Awards 2023 — The Winners

    Posted on: Sep 13, 2023
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    We are thrilled to reveal the winners of the very first Badger Book Awards and also announce the author-nominated schools to receive the £500 book prize. It has been fantastic to see so many secondary schools engaging with the awards and nurturing a reading for pleasure culture across every year group.<

  9. Momentum: Dyslexia-friendly graphic novels

    Momentum: Dyslexia-friendly graphic novels

    Posted on: Jun 30, 2023
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    In the discussion around what makes a ‘proper book’ that is worthy of a school library, graphic novels have historically been kept at arm’s length. However, attitudes to graphic novels in schools are rapidly changing, and concerns about their ability to provide an enriching reading experience are being rightfully dispelled. Graphic novels are essentially a sequence of images and short bursts of text working in harmony to tell a story. The image frequency provides opportunities to infer emotion and tone in ways that aren’t always there in a standard novel. The presence of sequential boxes also really helps to focus the reader’s concentration on the trajectory of the story.

    It's true that there are some elements of graphic novels that can be a problem for more struggling readers and those with dyslexia or other information-processing difficulties. For example, graphic novels are often very visually busy, making them potentially overwhelming. The order of the text and speech boxes can

  10. Get a flying start in reading this term with Badger Learning’s FREE Guided Reading Resources!

    Get a flying start in reading this term with Badger Learning’s FREE Guided Reading Resources!

    Posted on: Mar 14, 2023
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    Our Enjoy Guided Reading range has become a go-to resource for busy teachers. To launch the new term we’d love for you to try one in the classroom for free. We’re sure once you’ve done so, you’ll be keen to come back for more. Our aim is always to give teachers the best tools for the job, saving time and delivering lessons that provide positive learning outcomes.   

    We have one FREE resource for each year group from 1–6 available, so please share this with your colleagues and teacher friends.  Every school can download all six free resources with no catches.

    FREE RESOURCES

    Year 1: Teacher notes for I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

    Year 2: Teache

Blog Posts: 1–11 of 294