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Why Reading Came Up Again and Again From Heads Of Top Independent Schools

Why Reading Came Up Again and Again - And What You Can Do About It

In the discussions with heads at the Independent Schools Show, one point came up repeatedly: the students who thrive are strong readers. Not just technically fluent but children who:

- read widely
- enjoy reading
- engage with ideas through books

It wasn’t framed as an optional extra but rather was part of how they recognise curiosity, depth of thinking, and readiness for the kind of learning these schools offer.

If you’re reading this with a child who:

- is only just becoming a confident reader
- doesn’t naturally gravitate towards books
- or prefers other activities

It’s worth saying clearly: this is not about what has or hasn’t happened so far, it’s about what you can build from here.

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Start with the environment, not the outcome

One of the most effective things you can do is also one of the simplest: make reading visible.

Not just something your child is told to do but something they see happening around them.

That might look like:

- books around the house
- adults reading regularly
- conversations about what you’re reading

Children pick up very quickly on what is valued.

If reading feels like:

- a task
- something assessed
- something done alone

…it’s much harder for it to take root.

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Reading doesn’t have to mean reading alone

For many families, reading quietly and independently is the goal.

But it doesn’t have to start there, and it doesn’t have to stay there.

Even with older children, there is huge value in shared reading.

That might be:

- reading a book aloud together
- taking turns reading
- listening to an audiobook as a family

Audiobooks, in particular, can be powerful.

They:

- expose children to rich language
- model fluency and expression
- allow access to books that might be too challenging to read alone

And importantly, they create a shared experience - something you can talk about together.

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The discussion matters as much as the reading

One of the clearest links to what schools are looking for is this: children who can talk about what they’ve read, explain what they think, respond to ideas and make connections.

This doesn’t need to feel like a comprehension exercise.

It can be as simple as:

- “What did you think about that character?”
- “Why do you think they did that?”
- “Would you have done the same?”

These kinds of conversations build:

- confidence
- vocabulary
- and the ability to think aloud

all of which came up strongly in the panels.

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Introduce books they wouldn’t choose themselves

Left entirely to their own choices, many children will stay within a narrow range. Part of building reading more broadly is gently extending that.

That might mean:

- introducing classics
- trying different genres
- revisiting books slightly above their current level

With my 11+ students, I’ve been introducing a new classic text each week through discussion and extracts.

The aim is not to get them to read them all but to spark interest and to give them a glimpse of worlds, language and ideas they might not otherwise encounter.

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For bilingual families

If English isn’t your strongest language, it’s easy to feel unsure about how to support reading but the most important thing is not the language, it’s the experience.

Reading and discussing books in your home language:

- builds understanding
- develops thinking
- creates those shared conversations

All of which transfer.

If you’re able to include some English reading alongside that, that’s helpful but it doesn’t replace the value of rich discussion in any language.

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It’s never too late to change the culture

Perhaps the most important point is this: there isn’t a fixed window.

You haven’t “missed it” if your child is older and doesn’t love reading.

You can still shift how reading fits into your family life.

Often, small changes make the biggest difference:

- reading together a few times a week
- listening to an audiobook in the car
- talking more about what you’re reading

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A final thought

When heads talk about “strong readers”, they are not just talking about children who can decode quickly.

They are talking about children who:

- have encountered a wide range of language
- are comfortable exploring ideas
- can think, respond and engage

And those are things that can be built steadily, and in many different ways over time.

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