Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for School Reform, has released a document called Reading: the Next Steps. In it, he outlines what help the government is offering schools to enable children to learn to read fluently and to instil a love of literature.

These measures include two strands. One is for funding for book clubs for Key Stage 2 pupils and a recommendation for schools to arrange public library membership for Year 3 pupils. The other is the promotion of poetry by supporting the poetry recitation competition Poetry by Heart.

Hampshire School Library Service already offers support to its subscribers on these and other measures. You will find extensive booklists of quality literature and poetry for all Key Stages on our Promoting Reading page, along with a link to the Hampshire Public Library joining-up page.

We also offer a collection of Group Sets for lending to book groups, and plenty of practical advice on promoting reading in school for all ages, including how to run a primary school book club.