Reading a newspaper is a perfect opportunity to support the reading for pleasure agenda in your school. With a newspaper, you don’t have to start at the beginning and read to the end, instead there are lots of choices to be made.

On each page, you scan the pictures, headlines and lead paragraphs to find the stories that interest you and to decide which articles you will read in full.  Everyone will have different favourite sections: some children will head straight to the Sports pages, others will hunt out Animal News, World News or Crazy But True.

Pupils engage with the stories because they are real and help them to develop their understanding of the world they are growing up in. As newspaper readers, pupils become part of a wide reading community of informed people who read, discuss and debate the news.

Short news reports are non-threatening for reluctant readers, and the range of topics covered each week ensures that stories will appeal to pupils with a wide range of different interests.

High-level, in depth discussions can result from reading a news story told in just one short paragraph. This provides purpose and success for children who need support with reading.

In an era of fake news, developing pupils’ critical literacy skills at an early age is vital. Introducing First News into the classroom provides a trusted source of news. Pupils can compare First News reports to other sources such as Newsround.  Do pupils agree with the choice of the front page story each week? Discussing the editor’s choice for the front cover develops pupils’ understanding of how traditional media works and that a team of journalists are making decisions about what news to report.