Sue Jenkins, Head of Years 10 and 11, and Hannah Wilcox, Deputy Head of Years 10 and 11, share five reasons they’ve found The Day an invaluable resource for tutor time activities.

Howell’s School, Llandaff, is an independent school in Cardiff which educates girls aged 3-18 and boys aged 16-18. It is part of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST). 

The Day publishes daily news articles and resources with the aim of help teachers inspire students to become critical thinkers and better citizens by engaging their natural curiosity in real-world problems. We first came across it as a library resource and recognised its potential for pastoral activities when the length of our tutor time sessions was extended to allow more discussion time and flexibility in their use. 

Post-Covid, it has never been more important to promote peer collaboration, discussion and debate in schools. There is an ever-increasing need for students to select, question and apply their knowledge when researching; it has never been more important for students to have well-developed thinking and analytical skills. We find The Day invaluable in helping us to prompt students to discuss and understand current affairs, and to enable those who are already aware to extend and debate their understanding. 

Here are five key pastoral reasons why we would recommend subscribing to The Day:

1. Timely, relevant topics throughout the year

You will always find a timely discussion topic on The Day website. The most recent topics feature prominently on the homepage, and a Weekly Features section allows you to narrow down the most relevant discussion topic for the session you are planning. Assembly themes, such as Ocean Day in June, are mapped across the academic year for ease of forward planning. We particularly enjoyed discussing the breakaway success of Emma Raducanu in the context of risk-taking, and have researched new developments in science, such as NASA’s James Webb telescope, in the week they have been launched.

2. Supporting resources to engage and challenge students

The need to involve and interest students, make sessions straightforward for busy form tutors, and cover tricky topics, combine to make it daunting to plan tutor time sessions – but resources linked to The Day’s articles make it manageable. Regular features such as The Daily Poster allow teachers to appeal to all abilities and learning styles with accessible and interesting infographics. These can also be printed and downloaded for displays, making life much easier for academic departments too. One of the best features we’ve found for languages is the ability to read and translate articles in target languages such as French and Spanish. Reading levels can be set on the website for literacy differentiation, and key words are defined for students to aid their understanding of each article.

3. Quick PSHE links for busy teachers

Asked to cover a class at the last minute? We’ve all been there! With The Day, you are sure to find a relevant subject story to discuss within seconds, and, best of all, be certain that the resources are appropriate for your students. With our Year 10 and 11 students, we have covered topics such as body image with the help of The Day by prompting discussion of Kate Winslet’s rejection of screen airbrushing. Using articles is particularly useful with potentially difficult or emotive issues where students may be more able to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of certain attitudes by looking at news events, detaching themselves from but also gaining insight about the personal situations they may be experiencing. The PSHE programme is vast; it is great to use The Day to plan tutor time sessions and gives us the opportunity to touch on a wide range of issues relatively easily.

4. Motivational themes brought to life through real stories

We have also found The Day’s articles useful for providing examples of motivational themes for our year groups. The Themes Calendar is particularly useful here; for example, tutor groups discussed the themes of resilience and diversity using the article on Preet Chandi’s trek to the South Pole. If you’re looking for assembly inspiration, The Day is a great starting point.

5. Develop oracy, thinking and research skills through meaningful debate

Each article has suggested tasks and discussion questions which we have found very useful for planning tutor time activities which develop students’ oracy, thinking and research skills. The Day promotes high-level debates about environmental, societal and political issues which students are keen to explore. One recent example is the discussion of privacy laws and press freedom prompted by the article about Rebel Wilson’s forced outing by an Australian newspaper. Activities can be easily adapted or combined to promote effective discussion. ‘Connections’ articles contain links to similar areas of study, helping teachers to plan and students to see the relevance of current affairs.

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Find out more…

NACE is partnering with The Day on a free live webinar on Thursday 30 June, providing an opportunity to explore this resource, and its role within cognitively challenging learning, in more detail. You can sign up here, or catch up with the recording afterwards in our webinars library (member login required).

Plus: NACE members can benefit from a 20% discount on annual subscriptions to The Day. For details of this and all current member offers, take a look at our member offers page (login required). 

Is your school library the chosen enclave of a select few, or does it truly cater for, challenge and engage all learners? Ahead of Libraries Week (8-13 October 2018), Alison Tarrant, Chief Executive of the School Library Association, shares six signs your school library is getting it right…

1. There are (almost) as many people as books

This may sound obvious, but if your school library is characterised by absolute tidiness and ghostly silence… that’s not good. Everyone should be welcome in the school library, and everyone should be busy doing something – whether it’s reading, debating, being part of a club, revising or drawing. This makes sure the space doesn’t become exclusive to a single group, preventing labelling of users. Obviously, it’ll always be quieter on a beautiful summer’s day and always busier when it’s pouring with rain, but everyone should feel like the space is their space.

2. Every part of your collection offers challenge

All the sections within your school library collection should offer a range of levels. For example, when buying graphic novels make sure you choose some that are complex and challenging and others that are easier to access – this stops certain parts of the collection being painted as just for “brainy” or “stupid” children. Each collection should have something to suit a range of reading habits. Short stories work for reluctant readers and for more able readers. Classics can do the same, so don’t label the collection to attract a certain group – this can end up limiting their reading journey. Workshops on certain genres, such as graphic novels or illustration, can widen reading choices and enhance engagement.

3. Your librarian is… not in the library

This may be controversial, but the librarian/library manager should not be in the library all the time. They should be having meetings with subject leaders, more able coordinators, SENCos and so on. The school library should cater for all subjects across all year groups and all cohorts – which means the person running it needs the information about who’s teaching what, who’s struggling with what and what’s going on in school generally. Apparently it takes being told something three times to take it in, so make sure the school library is supporting the messages you are teaching or talking about in assembly. Talking about censorship? Ask for a “banned books” display. Discussing mental health? Ask for a visual resources list on this topic.

4. Library clubs are driven by learner demand

Clubs that run in libraries can be brilliant, but they can also be demanding and (as with everything) they take time from something else. Make sure they cater to a variety of students and are based on students’ interests. Following the Carnegie Medal might work well for Years 9-10; so then try the Excelsior Award or follow the Blue Peter Award. An illustration club may attract yet a different range of students. If possible let them select the best time for the club to run – try breakfast meets before school or brief lunchtime clubs as alternatives to after school. If you notice a cohort isn’t using the space, ask them why and talk to the librarian about running a club or event that would appeal to this group.

5. Your resource lists really do have something for everyone

All resource lists should fulfil a range of needs. All resources can be complex or easier in cognitive ability or composition, so you need to know the resources and know the pupils. One learner may be better with a more complicated written piece but a simpler video resource. Another may prefer an audio book as opposed to an e-resource. Resource lists should be about range – the right material for the right child in the right format at the right time.

6. Learners are empowered to be discerning readers

Always try to offer a range of levels when suggesting books. Within all genres there’s a range of reading and cognitive abilities required, and learners will also need different types of book at different times. Consider Year 6 transition – a primary school library may not have the range a secondary school library can offer, so learners need to know there are still new places to go on their reading journey. At other times, a learner might want a “reading rest” – a gentle book that doesn’t strain them but is engaging. A good habit is to recommend three books and ask the learner to read the first chapter of each to get a flavour, then ask them what they thought about each one. This will help you get it right in future, and help them consider their likes and dislikes. Each young person needs to become discerning in their reading, choosing a path and establishing the reasoning, and articulating it for each book selection. The conversations are important, as well as the reading itself.

Alison Tarrant is the Chief Executive of the School Library Association (SLA), and a Bookseller Rising Star 2018. She previously worked as a school librarian, and was on the Honour List for the School Librarian of the Year in 2016, as well as serving as a trustee for the SLA. The SLA is committed to supporting everyone involved with school libraries, offering training and resources to promote high-quality reading and learning opportunities for all. Launched this year, the Great School Libraries campaign is a three-year campaign dedicated to raising the profile of school libraries.

The UK’s recent rise in the PIRLS tables has been accompanied both by praise for schools’ success in boosting reading levels, and by calls to remember that the pleasure of reading is just as important as the mechanics.

The coalition behind the ROGO Index, launched today, has highlighted research linking enjoyment of reading to better educational outcomes and improved life chances, while the index itself suggests young people’s enjoyment and frequency of reading are lagging behind their cognitive reading skills.

In this context, second Children’s Laureate Anne Fine OBE – a longstanding advocate of the wide-ranging benefits of reading – shares advice to help schools encourage learners of all abilities to read more, and to get more from their reading…

Even in today’s digital, multimedia age, good books remain essential in helping young people develop – not only their literacy, but their ability to understand themselves, those around them and the wider world.

This is true for learners of all abilities, including the more able. The challenge for teachers is in helping them access the right books – books that will speak to their interests, engage their curiosity, open up new ideas and possibilities.

So even as schools come under growing pressure to invest in computer labs and tablets, they should renew efforts to stock up their bookshelves, and equip teachers to support all learners in becoming wide and avid readers.

Raise the bar

In my visits to schools around the country I’ve encountered huge disparities in the number of books read by children – including the more able – on a weekly or termly basis. This is often about expectations; there should be an expectation that everyone is reading, regardless of whether this is reflected at home.

While more able learners may not appear to need much support with their reading, the challenge is in helping them access the right books. When a child enjoys a book, teachers should think laterally to identify others they’re likely to enjoy – by the same or a similar author, covering a related subject matter, with a similar tone or perspective.

There are also authors who are well-known for raising the sorts of topics that are fascinating to an intelligent child – such as Geraldine McCaughrean, Hilary McKay or Philip Pullman – and teachers should be able to point their more able learners towards these writers.

Reading for life

Young people are not kept wrapped in china on a shelf, as we know. They worry about things – especially bright children, in my experience. Books remind them that they are not alone. Their worries are not just theirs; they’re shared by many others, and people approach them in different ways.

No story starts with a happy family, followed by 150 pages in which nothing bad happens; that’s just not interesting. Even if it’s a comedy, there’s always something going wrong. But most children’s books do offer some light, somewhere to go, some way to think about things in a more positive way – and that’s very important in helping children develop ways to cope when they feel overwhelmed.

Children who read a lot have a deeper understanding not just of other people’s behaviour and how they think, but of their own. Self-knowledge is the most valuable of the virtues. We all see people who make the same mistakes over and over again – and it’s because they don’t actually know themselves.

But aside from the many benefits, what a waste of time not reading, when there’s so much absorbing pleasure in it!