BACA Reading Programme
At BACA, we are passionate about reading. We recognise that young people who regularly read for 
pleasure develop more sophisticated reading skills than those who do not and these skills improve academic performance and life chances. We also recognise how engaging with a great story is a vital part of human experience and intrinsic to our cultural entitlement. It is through words and stories that we make sense of the world that we are born into and how we engage with the worlds of others.
Reading groups allow students to find time to indulge in reading twice a week unless readers need additional support in which case this will be 4 times a week. They meet in small groups with their reading tutor to enjoy a wide range of texts, discuss the developing plot and analyse the language and characters.
It is our expectation that, alongside the minimum equipment requirements, students will always have their reading book with them. Reading tutors will generally set students homework of 10 - 20 pages or a task related to the book they are reading every week.
Virtual school library
Advice for Parents/Carers Supporting their Children with Reading
All students read for pleasure at BACA on a daily basis. It is a fantastic way for students to develop their cultural capital, improve their literacy, as well as an enjoyable way to spend their time. Students should be encouraged to complete their reading homework each day.
Research shows that students who are involved in reading at home with their parents/carers are much more motivated readers, which then has a positive impact upon their reading engagement and literacy skills.
Top tips for supporting reading at home in Y7-11 (and beyond!)
Try to complete one of these reading activities every day; some take only a few minutes.
- Listen to your child reading – praise their effort, fluency and expression. Don’t worry about correcting every single error.
- Share reading with your child – read aloud with your child and take it in turns.
- Talk about your own and your child’s reading – chat about what they have been reading and why they do/don’t enjoy it, favourite moments or characters, etc.
- ‘Get caught’ reading –simply allow your child to see that you read regularly too – 5 minutes a day could be worth so much!
- Take a trip to a local library and browse books which link to other interests that you and your child may have.
Stretch it!
If reading is already part of your everyday routine, try these activities to boost your reading culture at home.
- Research your book, or your child’s book together with them – investigate more novels by the author, find out about their influences, explore the themes of the novel.
- Set up a ‘recommendations’ board in which you or your child writes down titles of books to recommend, with a few sentences to explain why, as and when they are read.
- Complete a piece of writing based on your child’s reading for the termly reading challenge, together with your child.
- Create a ‘reading nook’ – a corner of your home devoted to reading. It doesn’t have to be large or require anything expensive. A pile of library books, a blanket and some cushions will create a lovely cosy reading den.
If you have any other great reading ideas that you do at home, please email them to me (Mrs F Heerah) at fheerah@baca-uk.co.uk, so that I can share the different ways that families embrace a love of reading.
To browse some of the available books included in the BACA Reading Programme, please select your year group below.