Reading Schools reaccreditation

Achieving Reading Schools accreditation is a moment to celebrate. You’ve laid a strong foundation for reading for pleasure, and now it’s about nurturing that culture so it continues to flourish with every new cohort of learners and staff. It's also a good time to identify opportunities to grow and reach further. This article offers supportive ideas and gentle reminders, helping your setting sustain its reading culture over the next three years. . . and beyond!

Celebrating what you’ve built

Recognition is important. Take a moment to acknowledge the collective effort – from your reading leadership group and colleagues across the school to families and your wider community – that has played an important role in your accreditation journey. Taking time to acknowledge the effort and enjoyment is a vital part of the process, so get everyone proud of that achievement in your school and beyond.

You might also choose to share your success on social media, using #readingschools to share it with us, or by drafting your own press release(this will open in a new window) to share with your local community.

Embedding reading for pleasure as an ongoing priority

Achieving your accreditation is not the end of this journey but rather an opportunity to fully embed reading for pleasure on your school’s priority list. While your accreditation is valid for three years, you have already developed great practice which, with a little ongoing effort, can continue to play a pivotal role in your school and become a part of daily life for learners, staff and your wider school community.

It's worth considering each new cohort of learners, ensuring that they all have the same opportunities to experience the joy of reading and stories, as well as seeing the value their school continues to place on reading for enjoyment.

Reflecting with compassionate questions

Reflection helps maintain momentum. You may find it encouraging to explore questions such as:

• Which reading activities brought the most joy and engagement to learners?
• How have staff, learners, families and/or community partners responded to your initiatives?
• In what ways can reading complement ongoing priorities such as STEM, Health & Wellbeing, or Rights Respecting Schools?

Treat reflection as a collaborative conversation rather than a checklist, allowing all voices – students, staff and families – to share their perspectives. To assist with this, we have developed a resource to help you identify further opportunities to embed reading for pleasure, assess the success and challenges in achieving your accreditation and explore what you might do next. Our reaccreditation resource contains further reflection questions designed to help you consider the impact of your delivery and what you might like to change or repeat.

Strengthening community and connection

Sustaining a thriving reading community is a shared endeavour. When responsibilities are spread among staff, learners and families, everyone feels a sense of ownership. Engaging with networks across Scotland can bring fresh inspiration and remind you that you are part of the wider community of Reading Schools(this will open in a new window), recognising reading for pleasure as a priority for all.

By honouring achievements, reflecting with care and weaving reading into your school’s everyday tapestry, your Reading Schools accreditation will continue to inspire learning, imagination and connection for years to come.

Related resources

• Use our reaccreditation resource(this will open in a new window) to focus on reflective questions exploring the impact of your journey, and plan for what activity you might like to change or repeat
• Catch up with our “Achieved Gold – what next?” Shared Practice interviews(this will open in a new window) from May 2025, and browse our upcoming shared practice events(this will open in a new window) for live opportunities to get involved
• Explore our 'Going for Gold?' article(this will open in a new window), with handy hints and guidance from other Reading Schools around building a sustainable reading culture
• Join our Schools Network on Microsoft Teams(this will open in a new window) – a space for learning professionals across Scotland to connect, share practice and access support