To support The National Year of Reading 2026, Baxter College is dedicated to fostering a culture where literacy is recognised as the essential foundation for academic success and lifelong learning. As a school, we implement several initiatives to encourage students to develop a genuine love for books.
We are fortunate to have access to a fantastic program Accelerated Reader (AR). It is a widely used digital platform designed to encourage and improve reading, measure growth of the individual reader and to provide quality reading for all. AR is designed to be a straightforward program, a student reads a book, takes an online quiz and gets immediate feedback. Students respond to regular feedback and are motivated to make progress with their reading skills. Staff can monitor students’ reading practice and make informed decisions to guide their future learning.
All students in years 7, 8 and 9 have Accelerated Reader as part of their English lessons and have regular library lessons for silent reading. They complete three termly STAR tests that generate a reading book level/range for them. All of the books in our library have been labelled according to the AR levels/ranges so that students will know to select and read a book within their range to avoid books being too easy or challenging.
Students are encouraged to take a quiz after they have finished each book. Every week, the total word count read is generated for each year group and displayed in the library and social areas. Additionally, our librarian runs the ‘Millionaires Board’. This lists all students that are on their way to being a ‘Millionaire Reader’ by reading one million words or have already achieved this status.
Accessing Reading Materials
Our Baxter College library is accessible to all students and is a calm environment to visit at break times, before and after school. Students can borrow books from our well stocked shelves of various genres of fiction and non-fiction books. They can ask for advice on their next book, offer book suggestions and chat with the librarian about any concerns they have about reading.
As with anything, performance improves with practice. We provide lots of opportunities for reading in school, however you can help by encouraging reading at home too. Parent drop-in sessions are available on a Wednesday after school until 4pm. It is a time when you can come into the library to talk about your child’s reading and how you can support them at home.
