Reading - Year 10/11
Our Year 10/11 Free Reading Programme
Reading for pleasure doesn't stop mattering once pupils reach Year 10. If anything, it matters more. As GCSE study ramps up, students are surrounded by set texts, exam extracts and close analysis, brilliant for developing exam skills, but not always why someone falls in love with reading in the first place.
This programme is our attempt to protect a small daily space just for reading that's enjoyable, varied, and entirely free of the exam lens.
What is it?
Over the course of Years 10 and 11, pupils are given a daily 20-minute reading slot. During this time, they read from a curated list of novels and non-fiction titles, never anything that also appears on an exam board's GCSE English Literature set text list. The idea is simple: this is reading for its own sake, not reading to be tested on. If your teen already loves reading, I would suggest just letting them carry on with the book they are interested in.
The list is organised into genres and themes: contemporary fiction, mystery and thriller, dystopian and sci-fi, fantasy and adventure, war and history, and a set of books that explore issues many teenagers are already thinking about, such as mental health, identity, and social media. There's something for pupils who want a gripping page-turner and something for pupils who want a book that makes them think.
How long should pupils read each day?
We suggest around 20 minutes a day, ideally at a consistent point in their routine. At that pace, most books on the list take somewhere between one and three weeks to finish, which gives pupils a real sense of progress and momentum across the two years, without it ever feeling rushed or like homework.
A few practical tips that help this run smoothly:
Consistency matters more than duration. A regular 20 minutes most days beats an occasional hour.
Let them finish what they start where possible. Momentum and a sense of completion are a big part of what makes reading for pleasure stick.
Letting them pick their own book (on or off the list) tends to boost engagement enormously.
Encourage the odd conversation about what they're reading. No formal write-ups or comprehension tasks, just a quick "what's happening in your book at the moment?" is often enough to show them someone's interested.
A note for parents
We've put real thought into this list, and it deliberately includes some books that explore serious, contemporary themes — grief, mental health, sexual assault, addiction, race and identity, among others. We think these subjects are important and that many teenagers are already grappling with versions of them, whether in the news, on social media, or in their own lives. Fiction can be a genuinely valuable, low-pressure way to explore these topics.
That said, every family knows their own child best. We'd really encourage parents and carers to look over the books before they're allocated to their child, particularly if a title deals with a subject you know might be sensitive for them personally. Where relevant, we've flagged books that touch on heavier content directly.
Why bother with reading for pleasure at all?
The research here is genuinely compelling: reading for pleasure is one of the strongest predictors of both academic success and personal wellbeing in teenagers, often outperforming even socioeconomic background as a factor. But honestly, the bigger reason we're doing this is simpler: we want teens to like books. Twenty minutes a day, on stories they've actually chosen or discovered rather than been assigned to analyse, is a small thing that we think will make a real difference.
If you want to incorporate reading into your teen's day, head over to the reading list and select where to start.
If you want to try recording books read, here is a basic reading record you could use.
