Reading Buddies

At Dene, we believe that Literacy is central to pupils making good progress throughout the school. Having good literacy skills will not only help in terms of progress in English lessons, but across the curriculum as a whole.

In September, all pupils in Year 7 were given a standardised Reading Test, from which we formulated their ‘Reading Age’. From these, a range of intervention strategies have been implemented, to ensure that all students requiring help their reading can receive the support they need.

One initiative, which has proved successful in recent years, is our ‘Reading Buddies’ scheme. This is a programme where Year 9 students volunteer to listen to Year 7 students reading, during Tutor Time. Since its introduction, the scheme has been hugely beneficial to both groups of students: not only helping with reading skills but also boosting the confidence and social skills of both groups of students!