Romayne Charles, Assistant Headteacher at Higham Lane School in Warwickshire explained in their bid that the school want to get all students reading together in form time and hearing an expert reader. The project will be used to get sets of form time reading books to allow students to access ambitious fiction and non-fiction texts that students may not automatically choose themselves. This is to support the school’s other literacy initiatives such as their phonics programmes and direct instruction. Students will be able to then carry out reading at home and in a year will read a minimum of 9 books in form time.
The aim of the bid is to improve the fluency, prosody and automaticity of disadvantaged students but more importantly a develop a lifelong love of reading. Learners should improve to be at least in line with chronological reading age, develop an appreciation for and experience of a wider range of literature and increase their vocabulary.
Trustees felt this project would add additional value to the work the school is carrying out to improve reading age, and therefore outcomes, for all learners in the school.
