TEACHERS, pupils and families are on the same page as a school prepares to introduce an innovative programme to help them with their reading.
The Year 1 reading programme will be launched at Springfield Academy, part of the Education Village, Darlington, after securing funding from the National Literacy Trust.
Reading is considered a pivotal building block for all learning and the programme aims to address a gap caused by the pandemic and home learning that has impacted on reception age children.
From September pupils at Springfield Academy will be helped to make accelerated progress by being given a full set of phonics books to boost their learning.
Year 6 teacher and the school’s English lead Lynne Simpson said: “We are delighted to be selected by the National Literacy Trust, who we have worked with previously.
“This will help Year 1 pupils who have missed a lot of school, help bridge the gap in their reading and encourage them to take a love of books home.
“There will also be parent workshops to encourage them to read and listen to their children at home. Children who read at home develop vocabularies way in advance of those who don’t.
“It’s a huge priority for us as children with strong reading skills become more proficient writers. It also helps families bond, gets children off digital devices and gives them the opportunity to speak out loud which builds their confidence in the classroom. Pupils are able to access so much more because their vocabulary is developing all the time.”