Paired Reading club

Peter Maiolani, Principal Teacher of Guidance and Simone Hughes, Teacher of English

English Department, Castlehead High School, Renfrewshire

The Paired Reading Club began nine years ago. It helps first year pupils to improve their reading skills by pairing them with a senior school volunteer for two 10-20 minute lunchtime reading sessions. The club begins in October and runs till March each year and the first year pupils make significant and lasting progress with their reading skills, as shown by both progress measures during S1 and by Standard Grade results in later years.

The senior students are trained in specific techniques over a number of lunchtimes and are then given the responsibility of working regularly with their first year partner to improve and assess the younger pupil's reading skills.

Approximately 100 senior students volunteer to give up their lunchtimes, and many are former members of the club. Parents and guardians are also being encouraged to support their children using similar methods at home or at school. An attractive reading room has been created within the English department, which is now very well stocked with an impressive range of texts, thanks in part to sponsorship and support from both the school and the local authority over the nine years of the project.

The target audience is S1 pupils, who are invited to join the club after having been identified as children who would benefit from some extra help to improve their reading skills or to widen their experience of reading.

Context

The present Castlehead High School resulted from the merger of John Neilson High School and Castlehead High School, and is located in the central area of Paisley, serving a wide catchment area - Elderslie, Ferguslie Park, central Paisley and Hunterhill. In August 2002 the school also enrolled a number of pupils from Merksworth High School.

Aims of project

The aims of the project are:

• to encourage greater involvement, support and direction from the home with regard to reading skills improvement
• to actively engage the parent/guardian in assessment of their child's reading
• to encourage further ideas regarding the development and provision of reading materials and resources to promote reading within the reading room
• to further encourage pupils' social skills and confidence
• to raise reading ages
• to make the leap from primary to secondary less troublesome for some and to strengthen the partnership between home and school.

Timescale

The paired reading initiative is now in its tenth year, running from June to the following April. Over these 10 years an annual year plan has been developed.

PDF file: Annual year plan (10 KB)
Castlehead High School Paired Reading Club year plan describing how the initiative is conducted across a single school year.

The strategic context

Evidence base, trigger for the project

The project was initiated primarily following concern expressed within the department at the reading levels of certain first year entrants and of the difficulties they experienced across the school.

I also felt there was a clear need for a 'club'/haven/centre where first years could meet, enjoy and practise reading, form friendships and be 'guided' by a senior school 'buddy' who might address any concerns they felt following their move from primary.

English teachers identify pupils with reading needs and the 5-14 information from the primary schools is used as a further check. The learning support department also conducts reading age tests.

Relevant research and/or pedagogy

Reading for enjoyment was recognised as an invaluable activity in the promotion of academic attainment (Pisa Report).

Moreover, we recognised the potential that we had within the school: our senior school - and first years - responded and contributed positively to the assessment framework, incentive programme and attractive reading centre. We developed an ethos of self-responsibility, initiative and 'fun' through reading partnerships. Coming to paired reading meant sharing a book and a friend.

Links to school, local authority or national initiatives

Initially the project was entirely school focused, funded by the headteacher and through voluntary donations of reading material by staff. Via our headteacher, we then tapped into local authority funding for Raising Achievement and used funds to develop our reading centre.

In 1999 we built on our links with the local community by involving University of Paisley students in our paired reading timetable through their Access course.

In 2001 we were then chosen to participate in the WH Smith TXT initiative, where we were given substantial funding over three years to purchase books, gift tokens and other incentive materials. WH Smith staff also regularly visit the school to pair read within the school day and we involved the whole school in competitions run by our local WH Smith store. Some pupils also benefited from work experience placements.

At present, following a successful bid to the Scottish Executive, we are also embarking on the Home Reading initiative this session, where we will involve parents/guardians in paired reading, reading skills improvement and the Reading Journey programme.

We have recently put in a bid to the local authority, which has set aside funds for Raising the Achievement of Boys.

This session we also have students from the University of Glasgow, who offer weekly reading support as part of a pre-teacher-training programme.

Monitoring and evaluation opportunities

After initial assessments senior students take day-to-day responsibility for monitoring the progress of their reading partner. An assessment sheet is available for this purpose.

PDF file: Paired reading assessment sheet (21 KB)
Blank assessment sheet which is completed by seniors to assist in monitoring the progress of S1 participants in the Paired Reading Club.

In addition to this, reading age tests are administered at the beginning and end of the scheme each year and value-added comparisons are made for former reading club pupils on reaching Standard Grade.

Pupils are also asked to give their comments about the scheme.

The teaching and learning experience

Resources and activities

The general running of the project has been described earlier. Within that senior students sign a contract which determines how, when and with whom they will work.

PDF file: Paired Reading Club contract (10 KB)
Contract form which senior students sign up to when joining the Paired Reading Club.

They are then trained to follow recommended techniques which will assist them to work with the S1 participants.

PDF file: Information and training booklet (23 KB)

Booklet containing information and training materials for senior student participants.

Parents are involved at all stages in the process: being informed of their child's participation, being invited to visit the reading centre and being made aware of their child's reading development as the year progresses.

PDF file: Letters of information and invitation (22 KB)

Examples of regular letters which are sent to parents of the students involved in the Castlehead High School paired reading club.

Evaluations and assessments lead to students being awarded certificates of progress and excellence.

Comments

PDF file: Sixth year students evaluations (15 KB)

A sample of sixth year student participants' evaluations.

Two of the WH Smith staff who have worked with children on a weekly timetabled basis as part of the WH Smith TXT scheme for the last three years have made the following observations: