Rhythm For Reading Mentoring Programme

The Rhythm for Reading mentoring programme uses rhythm-based activities to help improve children’s ability to tackle multi-syllabic words, phrases and sentences with greater fluency.

Having delivered the scheme in a number of primary schools across the UK, Marion approached Alleyn’s with the idea of running a mentoring programme alongside it as another means of tracking students’ progress in reading. It was not long before we found ourselves embarking on a five-week pilot scheme, during which time five of our Sixth Form students mentored 19 Year 4 students from a local state school, Goodrich Primary School.

The students read individually with their mentors for ten minutes each week, following the ten-minute Rhythm for Reading sessions. We have now expanded the scheme and are delivering the mentoring programme within our enrichment sessions. Alleyn’s Sixth Formers have now mentored over 60 Year 5 pupils.

Aims

Strengthening Alleyns’ links with local primary schools.

Providing a primary school with an effective accelerated reading programme.

Providing senior school pupils with an opportunity for enrichment by volunteering in the local community as mentors, helping young children who are struggling with reading, and working towards building a model of best practice illustrating school-to-school partnership in action.

Background

The mentoring programme was the brainchild of Marion Long, founder of Rhythm for Reading, which uses rhythm-based activities to help improve children’s ability to tackle multi-syllabic words, phrases and sentences with greater fluency.

Resources

Alleyn's currently funds the project at Goodrich. We spend one hour there a week.

Pupil Involvement

Year 12 mentors work with under-achieving Year 3 pupils.

Frequency

Weekly mentoring sessions. This has now been running for two-and-a-half years.