Solihull School welcomed its pupils, aged from age 3-18, back to school with a tempting New Year’s Resolution: ditch your device for a book and we’ll drop homework for two whole weeks! 

It sounds like a win for the pupils, but there’s method in the madness for the school, which was founded in 1560 and voted the TES Independent School of the Year 2024.  Multiple studies have proven that reading any kind of book for pleasure is directly linked to a wide range of positive outcomes - not only in the classroom, but in all aspects of a child’s life – and so it is likely that two weeks of additional reading will boost Solihull pupils’ development and achievements just as much as, if not more than, a couple of weeks of traditional homework.

Pupils below the Sixth Form are allowed to choose any book to read and, during the fortnight, will share what they’ve learned with the rest of their class. Pupils can opt for fiction or non-fiction books and e-readers are encouraged as well as print books. Reluctant readers are offered plenty of ideas to help them choose something that will pique their interest, while sixth formers are being given a range of reading material which supports and develops their A Level studies, expanding their horizons ahead of critical decisions about their future.

The initiative attracted the attention of the press, with the Headmaster and pupils appearing live on BBC during the breakfast show, the initiative being covered on BBC Newsround and on the BBC news website as well as in the local press. 

Click below to read some of the coverage:

Solihull pupils trade smartphone use for no homework - BBC News

Would you ditch your smartphone if it meant no homework? - BBC Newsround

Pupils ditch devices and pick up a book in return for no homework - The Solihull Observer

Executive Headmaster Charles Fillingham said: “Offering pupils the widest range of opportunities to develop, grow and excel is at the heart of who we are as a school. It’s critically important we prepare our pupils for a digital future, but there’s also nothing quite like the joy of getting completely lost in a book - so we work hard to ground all our students, from the very youngest to those about to leave us for university or the world of work, in a love of reading that will support their vocabulary, imagination, skills-acquisition and critical thinking capabilities throughout their childhood and into adult life.

“Studies have also shown that young people who read more are often happier and better able to manage emotional challenges too - so we believe that ditching homework for two short weeks, in favour of reading, will pay dividends for our pupils in all aspects of their personal and academic development.”