We create a pathway for young people to discover the wider world through reading for pleasure and discussion. Our book clubs help pupils develop character, communication, social and leadership skills. These skills will help young people to do well in school and match the needs of employers. Moreover, the book clubs demonstrate how reading for pleasure provides an escape from everyday concerns.
We work in secondary and primary schools. Older secondary school pupils lead the book clubs for Y7 pupils or Y4, 5, 6 in primary school.
“I am proud to be named as Book Clubs in Schools’ patron because I spent some time in a similar facility to the Pupil Referral Units (PRU) that BCiS work with. As Creative Writing Lecturer of Children’s Writing at Manchester Met University, it’s great that the Manchester PRU is part of the pilot. I understand that some students can find it difficult to engage with reading and think it’s vitally important to publish more diverse fiction that engages and relates to students. I know first-hand that reading can also promote empathy, compassion and understanding of others, which is why the Book Clubs in Schools’ work resonates with me”
Sign up to hear about our latest work with schools, our impact and book recommendations.
We send out our newsletter every half term.
It’s quick and easy to sign up for BCiS. You will be able to access all materials from our members only area and our team are here to train your Book Club Leaders and support your journey.
We are very excited to announce that Summer Book Club is back for 2023! In 2022, over 120 schools signed up to the project, and we are aiming to get more involved this year. Summer Book Club has run successfully for two years, with well-received...
We were all on the edge of our seats, soaking up every word from Jason and Alex that afternoon in Brixton Library. If you couldn’t make it, read on: school librarian, Alison Muirhead has written a brilliant blog for us about the event. Midweek, mid-August,...
It’s a bumper edition of What To Read Now this month. We have five books to recommend for ages between 8 and 16+ – so many great books are out right now and we hope you love them as much as we do. What have...
Kings College School in Wimbledon hosted our first in-person event post-Covid for Merton Abbey Primary School and Southmead Primary School. Around 100 children from years 4 and 6 came along and were thrilled to hear Sita share how she became an author. Through a mix of...
Sofia, a Sixth Former, at St Albans School wrote about running a Book Club for pupils at Beech Hyde Primary School. Our Book Clubs in Schools model works for secondary schools to run within a single school, but also for state or independent secondary schools...
We’ve teamed up with Hachette and Speakers for Schools to offer this free exciting activity for children transitioning into Year 7. We know that this year it will be particularly important to support pupils during the summer and that being a confident reader is vital...
PRESS RELEASE NOVEMBER 2020 Book Clubs in Schools (BCiS), announces award-winning children’s author Alex Wheatle MBE as its patron. BCiS is a charity that delivers interactive, inclusive and lively book clubs. The charity creates a pathway for young...
Small Charity Week is the perfect time to share our Impact Report. This week is when we celebrate the essential work of the UK’s small charity sector, who make an invaluable contribution to the lives of millions of individuals, communities and causes. We’re a small...
We normally run our book clubs in schools, but as schools closed for lockdown we wanted to keep in touch with our readers. So we’ve been running a version of our book clubs on Instagram. First up was a readalong – The Goldfish Boy by...