Reading Programme

For the last three years, Sixth Form pupils from IPS have gone to Heathmere, once a week, to help pupils in the Nursery Unit develop their early reading skills and a love of books.

Aims

The project seeks to instil 4-5 year old Nursery pupils at Heathmere with good reading habits and a desire to develop their skills as a reader as they move on into Reception.

Background

IPS had previously run a similar reading scheme with another local primary school. A governor from Heathmere had become aware of it and approached us with a proposal to do the same. We jumped at the opportunity.

Resources

Since September 2017, 24 Sixth Form pupils (in both Year 12 and 13) have been part of the reading programme. IPS has routinely organised their transport to and from Heathmere School.

Impact

Ms Gaynor, Assistant Headteacher at Heathmere says, “This project has allowed in excess of 30 children to read weekly on a 1:1 basis which has in turn, developed their confidence to speak aloud about books and has been a valuable addition to the way in which we, as a school, seek to develop our pupils' love for reading”.

Pupil Involvement

24 Sixth Form pupils and around 30 Nursery pupils have been involved in this project since September 2017.

Frequency

The programme happens for 90 minutes on a weekly basis. It has been operational since September 2017 and will continue into June 2018. We hope to run a very similar scheme in future years.