Why Reading for Pleasure Takes More Than a Love of Books
In secondary schools, reading for pleasure is often driven by the best of intentions. As teachers, and especially those of us that teach English, we tend to be competent readers who love literature. We hope to spark that same love of reading and writing in our students, so we invest in libraries, run reading challenges, invite authors in and talk passionately to students about books we love. All of this matters. But the uncomfortable truth is that a love of books, on its own, is rarely enough to turn all students into confident, voluntary readers.
The Education Endowment Foundation is clear that reading is one of the strongest levers we have for improving attainment, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Yet it also warns us that motivation without capability is unlikely to close gaps. For too many students, reading isn’t pleasurable because it’s hard. If reading feels slow, confusing or exhausting, no amount of encouragement will make it a preferred leisure activity. “Drop everything and…” would be a successful strategy regardless of the content if it worked. “Drop everything and run” would result in participants developing a love of running for example. It just doesn’t.
Alex Quigley’s work helps us understand why this happens so often in secondary schools. Reading isn’t a transferable skill that students simply “have” by the time they arrive in Year 7. It rests heavily on vocabulary and background knowledge. When students don’t know the words on the page, or don’t recognise the world the text is describing, comprehension breaks down. At that point, reading stops being about enjoyment and becomes an exercise in frustration.
Natalie Wexler pushes this idea further by drawing on cognitive science. She reminds us that comprehension depends far more on knowledge than on generic strategies. Students who lack shared cultural and academic knowledge are at an immediate disadvantage when faced with many of the texts we hope they’ll read for pleasure. Telling these students to “just read more” is a bit like asking someone to enjoy a film in a language they barely understand.
This is why the EEF continues to stress the importance of explicit reading instruction beyond primary school. Secondary students still need to be taught vocabulary deliberately, supported to read fluently, and given regular opportunities to hear complex texts read aloud. When teachers model reading, unpack language and guide discussion, students are far more likely to experience success with texts. Success, not enthusiasm, is what builds confidence.
Of course, none of this means that reading culture doesn’t matter. Choice matters. Recommendations matter. Teachers talking honestly about books they enjoy matters. But these things work best when they sit on top of a strong curriculum that systematically builds the knowledge and language students need to access texts independently. If the only reading students encounter in school is the independent reading set by their English teacher and the class novels they read together, they can’t be blamed for not developing the habits of regular reading. If History, Geography, and Science lessons are more likely to feature an American YouTube clip over a passage of text we are missing golden opportunities to develop a reading both within the individual and in the culture across a school.
Reading for pleasure shouldn’t be treated as a starting point, something we hope will magically fix literacy. It is the end result of careful, equitable teaching. When students feel capable as readers—when they understand what they read and can talk about it with confidence—pleasure follows naturally. Our job is to make that possible for every student, not just the ones who already love books.
Top Tips
1. Make reading everyone’s business, not just English’s
One of the biggest shifts schools can make is moving away from the idea that reading is something students “do” in English and transfer it to include everywhere else. The EEF is clear that literacy improves most when it’s woven through the curriculum. In reality, a student who can read a novel may still struggle with a science practical or a history source. Alex Quigley’s work on disciplinary literacy helps here: each subject reads differently, and students need teachers to show them how. That means explaining what it looks like to read like a historian, a scientist or a mathematician, rather than assuming students will just pick it up.
2. Take vocabulary seriously, even when time is tight
When students say they “don’t get” a text, what they often mean is that they don’t understand the words. The EEF consistently points to explicit vocabulary instruction as one of the most effective things we can do. This doesn’t require endless worksheets or word lists. It means choosing the most important words, explaining them clearly, revisiting them often and expecting students to use them in speech and writing. Over time, this steady attention to vocabulary makes reading feel less like guesswork and more like something students can actually do. It is all too familiar to see a student that is interested in football pick up a story about a footballer but struggle to comprehend significant amounts of the words due to their limited vocabulary. Reading is still difficult regardless of whether to subject is relevant to the reader.
3. Don’t send students into texts unprepared
Natalie Wexler reminds us that reading comprehension depends heavily on background knowledge. If students don’t know enough about a topic, even a well-written text can feel impenetrable. Too often, we hand out a dense article and hope for the best. A few minutes spent building context—through discussion, images, short explanations or a shared read—can make a huge difference. This isn’t lowering expectations; it’s making sure students have a fair chance of understanding what they’re reading.
4. Read aloud and model your thinking (even with older students)
Reading aloud can feel uncomfortable in secondary classrooms, but the evidence strongly supports it. The EEF highlights how hearing fluent reading supports comprehension, particularly for struggling readers. When teachers read a text aloud and pause to explain tricky vocabulary or think through a sentence, they make the invisible process of reading visible. It also levels the playing field: everyone gets access to the text, regardless of reading speed or confidence.
5. Slow down and return to texts, rather than racing through them
We often treat reading as a one-off event: read it once, answer the questions, move on. In reality, understanding usually comes from going back to a text. The evidence shows that rereading, when done with purpose, helps students deepen their comprehension. That might mean reading again to focus on key vocabulary, to track an argument, or to gather evidence for writing. When students realise they’re allowed to reread, reading becomes less about getting it right first time and more about making sense of ideas.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, reading for pleasure is not a programme to be implemented or a slogan to be promoted; it is the outcome of sustained, explicit, and equitable reading instruction. When students are systematically taught how to navigate complex texts, build vocabulary, and develop the knowledge required for understanding, reading becomes both accessible and rewarding. If we want more young people to read willingly and confidently, we must first ensure that they can read successfully. The literacyengine.co.uk Interactive Read Aloud model offers a practical, evidence-informed approach to making this happen—supporting teachers to model expert reading, build knowledge, and remove barriers to comprehension. I encourage readers of this blog to explore the model and consider how interactive read alouds can become a powerful lever for improving reading across the curriculum.