Monthly Archives: July 2014

Book clubs and reading societies have been popular among adults for quite some time now. These productive social gatherings provide an opportunity to read books you would otherwise not normally choose. They also provide a platform to analyse and critique a piece of literature and share opinions with a group of like-minded individuals. Whilst participating in this activity, members also inadvertently enhance their literary and communication skills.

With this in mind, it is incredibly positive that children are starting to jump on the book club bandwagon too and use it as an extra-curricular activity! Teachers and parents across the country are setting up their own book clubs in an attempt to encourage children to read and broaden their reading skills. But, what does it take to run your own successful children’s book club?

It’s estimated that as many as two in five children struggle to some extent when it comes to learning how to read. This isn’t necessarily an indicator of an underlying learning difficulty, but this factor should be investigated, which is why it’s important to identify problems with reading at the earliest stage.

Here at Badger Learning we all understand the importance of literature and the development of literacy skills within school children as they progress through the academic system. It is because of this understanding that it becomes difficult to believe that school libraries are not mandatory within the UK – yet prison libraries are. Although definite statistics are hard to come by on this matter, it is very clear to see that closures of school libraries are beginning to mimic the decline of our public libraries over the last 5-10 years. Unlike prison libraries, there is actually no legal obligation for schools to provide any kind of library facility at all.