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Allerton Grange School is a large secondary school with sixth form in Leeds, serving approximately 1,600 students aged 11–18. With a strong commitment to literacy and independent learning, the school wanted a platform that could make reading more visible, track engagement, and support students in developing lifelong reading habits.
We spoke with James Ellis, School Librarian, about how Reading Cloud has helped embed reading into the school’s culture and curriculum.
The school’s previous library system lacked the functionality to support independent exploration or provide meaningful data on student engagement. James needed a solution that could encourage students to take ownership of their reading, support staff in promoting literacy, and offer clear visibility across year groups.
“We needed something that would make reading more visible and give us the tools to support students in a more personalised way.”
— James Ellis, School Librarian
To tackle these issues, the school implemented a comprehensive reading strategy to support every learner with their reading attainment and nurture a culture of reading for pleasure. A dedicated ‘Drop Everything and Read’ (DEAR) session provides structured reading time each day, and Years 7–8 participate in weekly library lessons—encouraging regular visits and exploration of the Reading Cloud catalogue.
Reading Cloud was implemented to provide a more interactive and data-rich experience. James worked with the Customer Success Team to configure the platform to reflect the school’s structure and priorities.
The team created Reading Lists aligned to curriculum topics and enrichment themes, enabled student avatars to personalise the experience, and used the custom homepage to showcase new titles, student reviews, and recommended reads. Staff access allowed teachers to track borrowing, suggest titles, and integrate reading into classroom planning.
Students also began using Reading Cloud’s blogs and review features to make reading more engaging and interactive.
“At the start of term, we set Year 7s and 8s homework to review a book on Reading Cloud, which was a great way to introduce them to the system and encourage discussion about what they were reading.”
— James Ellis, School Librarian
“It’s got all the basics for managing the library catalogue, and then in addition, it’s got all the brilliant student features.”
— James Ellis, School Librarian
Student engagement: Pupils now explore the catalogue independently, contribute reviews, and use avatars to track their reading journey.
Staff insight: Teachers and support staff can view borrowing patterns, recommend titles, and celebrate reading milestones.
Curriculum alignment: Reading Lists support classroom topics, pastoral programmes, and enrichment activities.
Operational clarity: MIS integration ensures student data is accurate and up to date, while the platform provides full visibility across year groups.
Reading culture: Reading Cloud has helped embed literacy into the school’s ethos, supported by structured DEAR sessions, weekly library lessons, and student-led reviews.
“It’s helped us move from a library that’s used occasionally to one that’s central to how we support students.”
— James Ellis, School Librarian
Allerton Grange School has transformed its approach to reading with Reading Cloud. The platform supports independent exploration, staff collaboration, and whole-school visibility—making reading a visible, valued part of student life.
“I’d definitely recommend Reading Cloud to other schools. It’s intuitive, flexible, and makes reading more visible—not just in the library, but across the whole school.”
— James Ellis, School Librarian
To ignite a love of reading in your school community, you need more than a basic library system. Reading Cloud unites students, staff, and parents, empowering schools to foster independent learning and build a vibrant reading culture with easy-to-use tools.
